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MISSION WORK 


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CHHATTISGARH, INDIA 


FOREIGN MISSION BOARD 


OF THE 
EVANGELICAL SYNOD OF NORTH AMERICA 
2951 TILDEN ST., WASHINGTON. D.C. 


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H. H. LOHANS 
1920 


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Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


% 


BOARD FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS 


OF 


Evangelical Synod of North America 


Rev. C. W. LocHer, Chairman 
1920 G. St. N. W., Washington, D. C. 


Rev. Paut A. MENZEL, Gen. Sec’y. 
2951 Tilden St., Washington, D. C. 


Rey. S. LINDENMEYER, Rec. Sec’y. 


Rev. Tim. LEHMANN, T'reasurer, 
674 S. Hight St., Columbus, Ohio. 


Rev. H. L. STREICH 
Rev. H. MANRoptT 
Mr. EpWIN Cook 


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THESE PAMPHLETS MAY BE: OBTAINED FROM GEN. SEC’Y. 


Price @ 25 cents postpaid 
@ 20 cents in quantities. 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 3 
THE WORKERS ON THE FIELD 
MEN 
EOE), AE gM ROVGTES PTH BITE Sie or Se In India since 1890 
EONS NOE at NTS A SER EO COREE FN Ea In India since 1893 
Mew HreduA eG Oetsche.. Asasews Geld swale» In India since 1909 ° 
Trev Ll Pee HEIOTA DEN Whe torts Failte vee ee ess In India since 1912 
ere RRND eeu gr ibe cra hig st, S,. cia de In India since 1912 
PemeUHeOD OL TH ML WENtG ie eet ent. Wisi ania, 3h.» In India since 1913 
BLOW CRUNEOUULGL ey CY DOIG os Cavasce sels o's ge a’ In India since 1913 
BiTeetiealeeWaeCONel ns. sede, ee ek eee owt. In India since 1916 
FUREY A Lee LIONISS vocct series oct ladies 8s vee oe In India since 1918 
WOMEN. 
HYG y toe bic) BIS oo 3a oa) ak Maal eat SO a gt alae BA SCR In India since 1895 
Miss mACOIESWODUS Meh fa fire! NS Leis ess In India since 1906 
WEE od Se LUT sR er aa a Se .~.an India since 1909 
SYOSSET att ER EE a SI In India since 1911 
WET a POET SAAT ISLITW CARL OTiainn, votre oicro ds sje eye aie In India since 1911 
Miss Wilhelmine Katherine Diefenthaler....In India since 1913 
ri Mio fe LANG SN CRE CANOES images Ale imag Ant Ute a ae In India since 1916 
AVE eey kala ences CRI ORE SEGA 4: SH ONL rd nanny As To, 0 Ge In India since 1916 
ne dote IVE Wa YS eed OS abla, Wel a anata bir Ape bane ata in India since 1918 


4 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


FOREWORD TO SECOND EDITION 


After a lapse of ten years the present revision of “A Visit to 
Chhattisgarh” is herewith offered to our friends, under the more 
difinite title of “Mission Work of our Evangelical Church in Chhat- 
tisgarh, India.” Fortunately the author of the first edition is also 
the present revisor, and altho no longer on our missionary staff he 
did more than study and write. He performed a labor of love. We 
owe him an all the greater debt of gratitude as he was compelled to 
work under serious handicaps. Intending to make the revisions dur- 
ing the vacation months of summer, he found himself prevented at 
that time and was compelled to make use of spare hours after teach- 
ing in High School. And then even sickness in the family circle 
compelled him to divide these spare hours between nursing and writ- 
ing. May an extended use of the booklet afford the author a well 
merited compensation. 


In reissuing the publication a twofold use is had in view. 


1. For general information, such as is acquired by cursory 
reading. May there be many such readers in every one of our 
churches, none the least among our pastors. A great many of our — 
people are not familiar with our foreign work. And even such who ~ 
are will be glad to refresh their memories, acquire a general and 
comprehensive purview, and note development and progress, which 
call for our gratitude and increased cooperation. 


2. Then our Young People, especially groups of Sunday school 
teachers etc., are urged to organize temporarily as Study classes, 
making the booklet the basis for, say, a course of from %—8 study 
periods. ‘The several chapters will lend themselves easily to a sub- 
division. A supplementary pamphlet will be issued, containing 
suggestions for the leader or leaders, questionaires on the several 
chapters, etc. Copies of this supplement can be ordered from the 
General Secretary at the price of ten cents each. 

But whatever the form in which the booklet is put to use— 
may its use lead to new knowledge, new love, new prayer, new action, 
together with a dominating desire in the hearts of all of us, to have 
(he saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ brought to all men. 


The Foreign Mission Board. 


Washington, D. C., February 1920. 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 5 


Preface to the Second Edition 


Is has been a distinct pleasure for me to revise A Visit to our 
Chhattisgarh Mission in India for a second edition and to bring all 
the information up to date. It is just ten years since the writer left 
India and nine years since the booklet was first published. As it is, 
things move slowly in India, and as Kipling puts it: 


“It is not good for the Christian man to hurry the Aryan brown, 
For the white man riles and the brown man smiles, and it weareth 
the Christian down. 


And the end of the fight is a tombstone white with the name of the 
late deceased, 


And an epitaph clear: ‘A fool lies here who tried to hurry the East.’ ” 


But even aside from the proverbial procrastination of the East, 
the last five years, years of unheard of strife and bloodshed, and of 
destruction of human life and material wealth, have not favored a 
rapid advance. Our mission force has been diminished until we have 
less than half the workers we ought to have. It was difficult to 
send out money and almost impossible to send out workers. It ap- 
proaches the miraculous that our brave brothers and sisters could 
hold out as they did, with a stout heart within and a smile on their 
lips. They have cried out to us for aid, but never a word of com- 
plaint from them. 


But progress has been made notwithstanding these heartrend- 
ing conditions as is evident when we compare the first with the sec- 
ond edition. If we had been able just to hold our own it could be 
said that we had done well. We have done better, however, and that 
is indeed both gratifying and encouraging. 

And now for another wholehearted, united effort, an effort that 
will cheer and strengthen the children of light in India and bring 
dismay and confusion to the hosts of darkness there. Now for an- 
other strenuous endeavor to replace the kingdom of satan by the king- 
dom of God. To think that by God’s grace this booklet might con- 
tribute ever so little to win for our Evangelical mission in Chhattis- 
garh more earnest prayer, more consecraccd workers and more 
cheerful givers will be ample reward and very sweet gratification to 
the writer. 

I desire to thank all who have supplied. me with the in- 
formation covering the last 10 years. Some contributions have 
been used verbally and are duly credited in the book. The valuable 


6 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


suggestions, corrections and additions supplied by the Rev. K. W. 
Nottrott, Rev. O. Nussmann and Rev. P. A. Menzel have all been 
carefully considered and largely used. Questionnaires are now added 
in pamphlet form for the convenience of study classes. 


H. H. Lohans, 
Buttalo, Nea eae ode. 


The Rev. Oscar Lohr (nearly 80 years old) 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 7 


Introduction 


It was to be our last night on the “Raffaele Rubbatino”. We 
had been told that by remaining on deck until a late hour we might 
be able to see the first lights of the Bombay harbor before retiring. 
The few anxious, impatient ones remained, and when we saw the 
first glimmer of the lights we were thrilled by the thought: Yon- 
der, within a short distance, lies India, the land of magic and mys- 
tery, the land of fabulous riches and untold splendor, the land of the 
lotus flower and “palmy plains,” a country of 325,000,000 inhabi- 
tants, to whom we were taking the gospel of salvation. Expectation | 
mingled with curiosity and a strong feeling of responsibility, made 
sleep light and fitful after we retired. Our good ship was to steam 
into port at dawn and we were anxious lest we should miss the far- 
famed beauty of the Bombay harbor. 


The view that greeted our eager eyes on the morning was well 
worth a sleepless night., There was Malabar Hill, redolent with its 
luxurious tropical vegetation ; its gentle slopes studded by the pala- 
tial residences of British officials and wealthy natives; its summit 
crowned by the grim Towers of Silence,*) the burial place of the 
_ Parsee community of Bombay. At the foot of Malabar Hill lies the 
great city of Bombay. Gradually the sun lights up and separates 
into towers and minarets and spires and individual edifices what, 
only a few minutes before in the gray dusk of the morning, seemed 
one great, dark, entangled mass. 


But the time given us for the enjoyment of the enchanting pan- — 
orama before us is brief. An agent of the Basel Mission meets all 
the missionaries of that great society at the dock to look after their 
baggage and to assist them generally during their stay in Bombay, 
which usualy lasts a few days. A tropical outfit, consisting of sev- 
eral suits of light clothes and a “solar topee” (cork helmet), has to 
be acquired at the outset if such has not already been done at Port 
Said. Traveling with a party of Basel missionaries, the services of 
the agent were also extended to the writer. We were met by a mild- 
mannered, courteous Parsee, who seemed to be possessed of unlimited 
patience and such an easy-going disposition that, in the opinion of 
the eager and strenuous American, it had ceased to be a virtue. 
Here, at the very entrance to India, begin the first lessons in patience 


*) The Parsees do not bury or cremate their dead, but expose them to 
the sun and the wind and the rain by placing the corpses on the parapet 
of a tower built for this purpose, where innumerable vultures feed on them, 
leaving only the bones to be dried and bleached by the elements. 


8 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


and self-control of which there is a long series ahead for the novice 
in missionary work. 

On the way to the hotel or the railway station, one is amazed 
to see so many magnificent buildings, fine parks and clean, wide 
streets. The university and government buildings, the Taj Mahal 
Hotel, the Royal Yacht Club, the Young Men’s Christian Associa- 
tion, the Cathedral, etc., are certainly noble edifices; and “Victoria 
Terminus” is one of the finest railway stations in the world. There 
is another aspect to Bombay, still more bewildering, the actual “‘Na- 
tive Quarters”, where the very opposite of all that is fine and clean 
and magnificent is found. On the evening of his first day the writer 


made the following entry in his note book: “How very strange every-. 


thing appears here! And what a difference between man and man! 
It would seem that not all men are human beings.” 


Bombay has a population of about one million. One of the 
most impressive sights for the new-comer is the seashore on an early 
morning, where hundreds of devout Hindus and Parsees—the lat- 
ter are in preponderance—come for their morning ablution. Wad- 
ing in knee-deep they wet the sacred thread and perform their de- 
votion to the rising sun. It is a picture of singular fascination and 
for a moment the onlooker is prone to forget that he belongs to an- 
other world where ideas and customs are so vastly different; but 
several parties of British gentlemen on horseback, clad in English 
riding costume, who come plunging along on their beautiful steeds, 
call the dreamer back to reality: Hurope has invaded Asia and it 
_ cannot be said any longer that 


“The East bowed down before the West 
In silent, deep disdain ; 
She heard the legions thunder past 
And plunged in thought again.” 
‘Those riders on their fleet horses, strong-minded men with in- 


telligent, determined faces, may have to leave India in time to some, 
but India will never be the same again. 


* % % 


It was at Bombay where the pioneer of our mission, the Rev. 
Oscar Theodor Lohr, with Mrs. Lohr and a family of three chil- 
dren, landed on the first day of May, 1868. He had been sent out 
by the German Evangelical Missionary Society in the U. 8. (an in- 
terdenominational body) with no other instructions than to take up 
work in a section of India where as yet no mission work was being 


EE ——— 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 9 


carried on. At a missionary conference, which happened to convene 
in Bombay at the time of the Rev. Lohr’s arrival, a letter was read 
with an urgent appeal for mission work among a people called 
Satnams, living in Chhattisgarh, a division of the far away Central 
Provinces. Mr. Lohr, who attended this conference, heard this let- 
ter read, and came to the conclusion that God was directing his foot- 
steps to Chhattisgarh. 


CHHATTISGARH 


Leaving Bombay by railway the Rev. O. Lohr traveled 500 
miles eastward until he reached Nagpur, the seat of government 
for the Central Provinces. From Nagpur he had to proceed by bul- 
lock-cart to Raipur, the principal city of Chhattisgarh, 168 miles 
farther east. Now the railway runs thru from Bombay to Calcutta, 
and Raipur has been raised to the dignity of a railway station. The 
journey has been shortened and nobody regrets it. Where formerly 
it took at least ten days it is now accomplished within thirty hours. 


The journey is not uninteresting for the new-comer, but he can- 
not help being disappointed in the landscape once he has left behind 
the beauties of Bombay and the grand scenery of the Western Ghats 
(a mountain range). ‘The rice fields at first are interesting, but 
grow very monotonous when you see hundreds of miles of them. 
Where are the “palmy plains” we sing about at home? Where the 
gleaming castles and glorious temples of our imagination? A palm 
seems almost as much a curiosity in this part of India as it is at 
home. The missionary usually arrives in India at the beginning 
of the cold season (November). ‘The crops have then been harvested 
the grass is withered, the rivers are running low. Where is the 
tropical vegetation, luxuriant and redolent, which we expected to 
find? There is very little of it in this part of the country. 


Historical Notes 


The history of Chhattisgarh is but known to a very limited ex- 
tent. What little information I have on the matter I owe largely to 
a paper written by the Rev. K. W. Nottrott. In the following we 
shall confine ourselves to a general review, giving merely a rough 
sketch. 


Up to the 11th or 12th century the land was known as Maha- 
kasola. It was inhabited by aborigines, who according to tradi- 
tion, were a legendary race of giants whose last ruler, king Mahen- 
dra, was conquered by the Hindu (Aryan) king, Samudra Gupta, 


10 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


in 350 A. D. in the battle of Nawagarh, a village which is now an 
outpost of our mission station Baitalpur. During the reign of Chan- 
dra Gupta Vikramaditya, Samadra Gupta’s son, the religion, of the 
inhabitants was changed from Buddhism and Jainism to Brahma- ~ 
ism or Hinduism*. 

Between 470—480 the country was invaded and badly devas- 
tated by the Huns who also invaded Kurope. History records noth- 
ing about Mahakasola until it is mentioned again by the Chinese ex- 
plorer Hiun Tsang, who traveled in India from 629—643. He re- 
cords that then the rulers of Mahakasola were Buddhists, from which 
it must be inferred that the population also had been forced to re- 
turn to the ancient religion. 


About the ninth century we find the country to be ruled by Gonds 
whose capital was Sirpur. These Gonds, the aborigines, had ac- 
cepted Hinduism in place of their traditional religion. Consequently 
Buddhism had been replaced by Saivitism,* the worst form of Hin- 
duism. 


Around 900 A. D. there seems to have been another change in 
dynasty which did not, however, involve a change of religion, for by 
this time idolatrous Hinduism had firmly entrenched itself with its 
caste system and had definitely displaced the ethically much su- 
perior Buddhism. The latter had lost completely its hold on the 
native land of its founder (Siddharta, or Sakjamuni, born in 520 
B. C.), but it is to this day the principal religion of Ceylon and 
Burma and has most of its adherents in Japan. 


Another change of dynasty occurred in the early part of the 
11th century when the house of Haihaivansi ruled in Chhattisgarh. 
This family belonged to the warrior cast (Raputs, the second of the 
four great castes** in India). Their residence was in Jabbalpur (the 
capital of what is now another division of the Central Provinces 
under the same name), but a side line resided in Chhattisgarh and 
ruled over the 36 feudatory Gond chiefs. It is here that we must 
look for the origin of the present name of the country, for Chhattis- 
garh means thirty-six forts, or castles. This Chhattisgarh line of 
the Haihaivansi was split into two houses who resided in Rattanpur 
and Raipur respectively and who ruled their principalities indepen- 
dent of one another. They remained in power until subjected by 
the Maharatti conqueror Raghuji Bhonsla; the last king of Rattan- 
pur yielded in 1741 and the last ruler of Raipur in 1750. This 
Maharatti dynasty, whose reign appears to have been benevolent on 


*) The scope of this book will not permit an explanation of some of the 
terms used here; they may be found in any encyclopedia. 


**) Brahmin, Kshatrya, Vaishya and Shudra. 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India a 


the whole, lasted until 1857, the year of the Sepoy Rebellion in 
India. ‘The East India Company had made tremendous acquisi- 
tions in India; great tracts of land had passed into its ownership 
and it had monopolized commerce and industry. The rebellion, es- 
pecially in its incipient stages, was chiefly a mutiny among native 
soldiers and was of minor political significance. But finally many 
native rulers got mixed up with the business. Chhattisgarh, however, 
was scarcely touched by it and did not participate actively in the up- 
rising. When the English government succeeded in settling the 
matter the entire country was taken over as a British possession, but 
many native rulers, among them the chiefs of Chhattisgarh, were al- 
lowed to retain title and income. 

In 1861 a definite British government was established for the 
Central Provinces with its seat in Nagpur. They comprise the 
divisions Nagpur, Chhattisgarh, Jabbalpur and Narbadda, besides 


Idol statuary in front of a Hindu temple 


15 feudatory states. The total area is 86,501 square miles with a 
population of nearly 12 millions. Chhattisgarh has an area of about 
31,000 square miles and a population of 4,000,000 people. It is di- 
vided into the three districts of Raipur, Bilaspur and Drug. The 


12 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


highest government official of the Central Provinces is the chiet 
commissioner ; his residence is in Nagpur. LEach division has a com- 
missioner and every district a deputy commissioner. ‘The commis- 
sioner of Chhattisgarh resides in Raipur. 

We have already touched upon the religious changes that took 
place in Chhattisgarh up to the ninth century when Buddhism had 
been definitely replaced by Brahmaism. Mohammedanism, notwith- 
standing its marvelous conquests in India (there are now nearly 70 
millions of Mohammedans there), never won many adherents in 
Chhattisgarh. But in the tenth century set in what is known as 
the Bhakti movement which continued and gained in force for sevy- 
eral centuries, running parallel with the great reformation periods 
in Europe. This was an attempt to reform degenerate Hinduism 
and to cleanse it from its coarse, offensive idolatry. We can only 
mention here the principal representatives of these reform ideas 
such as Ramanuja, Raidas, Kabir, Ghasidas. In their teaching the 
infiuence of Mohammedanism and Christianity can be clearly dis- 
cerned. It is of particular interest to us, however, that Chhattisgarh 
was deeply affected by this Bhakti movement and that the chief re- 
ligious sects that are found here are the Kabiri (followers of Kabir) 
and Satnami (followers of Ghasidas). The former have retained, 
especially in comparison with the latter, a much purer form of wor- 
ship and hfe; but both have degeneratel sadly from the ideals of 
their founders. The Kabirpanthi form a far more respectable class 
than the Satnami and it is perhaps for this reason that it is harder 
- to reach them in our missionary work. In this respect they may be 
compared somewhat with the Hindus and Mohammedans. But the 
Rey. Nottrott who had better opportunities to get into touch with 
them assures me that we have gained influence among them thru our 
schools and that many of the more educated Kabiri are very favor- 
ably inclined toward Christianity. 


The Country 


Chhattisgarh, as stated before, is one of the four territorial di- 
visions which together with fifteen feudatory states form the Cen- 
tral Provinces. This section of the country was first being opened 
up when Mr. Lohr arrived there, and Chhattisgarh was considered 
its most “jungly” (backward) division. To be given a post in 
Chhattisgarh was then regarded as a punishment by government of- 
ficials. The country takes its name from the thirty-six forts which 
are said to have existed in ancient times. A few ruins remain to 
tell the tale. There are a few old temples, whose age has been set 
down to at least 1,000 years by those versed-in archaeology. ‘They 


af America in Chhattisgarh, India 13 


are mostly deserted and crumbling, but the government is trying 
to preserve them on account of their antiquity. These old tottering 
temples have been replaced by an infinite number of new ones by the 
people, especially in the cities and larger towns. Many villages are 
without a shrine. Here the village idol or idols remain without a roof 
over their heads; they either have to be content with the shelter of a 
tree or stand out in the blazing sun. Very frequently the idol is noth- © 
ing but a large stone on which some passing sadhu (saint) has dabhed 
a little red paint. And on the whole very little reverence is shown 
to these idols by the people and much less by animals who pollute 
them at will. They often stand in absolute neglect until some dis- 
tress befalls an individual or the village as a whole. Then it is us- 
ual to assume that the idol is taking revenge for his neglect, and 
measures are taken to appease and satisfy him. 


The mountain ridges surrounding Chhattisgarh give it the 
shape of a horseshoe, the open part being to the east. Inside of this 
enclosure the surface of the land presents an undulating plateau. 
The soil is partly very fertile, the main product being rice. Chhat- 
tisgarh is considered one of the granaries of India. A little wheat, 
a few vegetables, some varieties of peas and lentils, flax (raised for 
the linseed), a few inferior kinds of fruit—these are the products 
of the higher portions where it is impossible to grow rice which re- 
quires low land that can be kept almost constantly under water as 
long as the rice is in the growing and ripening. Insufficient rain is 
the sole cause for India’s terrible faminés. Large droves of cattle 
ean be seen near every village, but on account of a chronic state of | 
scarcity of fodder and no care being taken in regard to breeding, the 
cattle are of diminutive size and of a very inferior kind. As the cow 
is sacred a conscientious Hindu cannot sell any cattle to the butcher 
and the revenue from milk and cream is so small that cattle, instead 
of being an asset to the farmer, rather form a debit. 


Agriculture is an occupation almost any Hindu may engage in 
without breaking caste. About 90% of India’s total population live 
in villages and hamlets, and fully two thirds of the people are en- 
gaged in agricultural pursuits. But as to the methods in vogue of 
tilling the soil,.it would seem that no progress has been made for 
many centuries. Such farm implements as are in use might have 
been invented in Noah’s time, so simple and crude are they. It is 
almost unbelievable that under such niggardly treatment the soil 
should yield such abundant crops whenever weather conditions are 
favorable. There is no attempt to fertilize the soil; as a matter of 
fact, on account of the scarcity of fuel dried cow-dung is largely used 
for fuel purposes. 


14 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


— 


The British government has established model farms in various 
sections of India with modern methods and equipment in farming 
and dairying, but the people are strongly averse to any change in 
their customs which have become sacred to them thru constant us- 
age from time immemorial. The government has outlined big 
plans to provide irrigation for unfavorable rainy seasons; the work 
has been started but is very slow in progress and so far absolutely 
inadequate, as is shown by the great scarcity resulting in actual fam- 
ine conditions as late as 1918—1919. 


The more mountainous parts of Chhattisgarh are jungly 
(wooded), and form the abode of the tiger, panther, wild elephant, 
buffalo, bison, bear, deer, antelope, ete. Chhattisgarh is still one of 
the best hunting grounds in India. Two great rivers, the Mahanadi 
and the Shionath, take their courses thru Chhattisgarh. They carry 
a splendid volume of water during the rainy season, but rapidly be- 
gin to fall as soon as the rains cease, and during the hot weather they 
run practically dry; merely a small rivulet winds its way thru the 
hot sand of the river bed. 


The main roads have been built and are kept in good condition 
by the British government; they enable government officials and 
missionaries to reach all sections of Chhattisgarh. Of course, the 
by-roads to the villages far removed from the main road are very 
poor, and to traverse them on a bullock-cart is very trying, especially 
on account of the time it takes to cover even small distances.’ How 
much time and energy could be saved and used to better advantage 
if all our missionaries were supplied with automobiles or motor- 
cycles! 


Climate, Seasons and Customs 


The climate of Chhattisgarh is tropical. It is fairly dry (Rai- 
pur is about 900 feet above the sea level) and perhaps not quite as 
trying as eastern Bengal or the plains of the Punjab; but it is far 
from being what is called a “white man’s country.” Acclimatiza- 
tion may take place in a certain sense, but hardly ever without in- 
jury to the health of the European or American. The physiological 
change that takes place—diminishing of the red corpuscles of the 
blood—impairs vitality and reduces energy. And this accounts, in 
part at least, for the long furloughs that are not only expedient but 
absolutely necessary. Tho they entail a considerable expense, yet 
they are economically justified. It is true that the longer some peo- 
ple remain in India the less susceptible they are to the heat, but the 
reason for this is far from being a salutary one, because it indicates 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India ny 


low vitality.* On the other hand, there are people to whom every 
additional hot season proves more trying. The effects on the system 
are probably the same in all cases and the difference in the symptoms 
can be explained by the difference in temperament. 

There are three seasons of the year in Chhattisgarh as in all 
India: 

1. The cold season, beginning in November and ending with 
February, is truly a delightful season. The thermometer hardly 
ever falls below 60 degrees F. and seldom rises above 95 in the shade. 
Under normal conditions the sky is almost constantly clear. Be- 
ginning with October garden flowers and vegetables are at their best ; 
they have to be watered, however, from December on. ‘The season 
is “cold” only for the native, who is scantily clad during the day and 
insufficiently covered at night; he is therefore reluctant in the morn- 
ing to leave his hut or the little fire he has built. The “cold” season 
reminds the foreigner in Chhattisgarh of a. delightful summer at 
home. Camping is a real pleasure, notwithstanding all the petty 
trouble it entails, provided the tents are substantial and roomy. 
Even during the “cold” season ight clothing and the “topee” cannot 
be dispensed with by the foreigner. ‘There is never any need of an 
overcoat in day time all the year around. 


2. The hot season begins with March and lasts until the first 
rainsin June. It being spring time most trees get new leaves before 
they ever shed the old ones completely ; and there are just a few trees 
that are bare for a few weeks. Flowers and shrubs in gardens can 
be kept alive only by watering them copiously and constantly. The 
grass is dried up entirely and the leaves are covered with a thick 
layer of dust and sand which are being carried thru the land by the 
hot winds. ‘These arise suddenly, usually at noon, and send their 
parching breath over the land for several hours at a furious rate, 
making it a torture to eyes, lungs and skin to be out at that time of 
day. The temperature easily reaches 120 degrees and in the writer’s 
study it usually varied between 104°—106° F. The streets and 
roads are deserted at the noon hour. Even natives venture out only 
when it is. absolutely necessary and then they protect their heads 
with all their available clothing. Traffic is almost entirely abanconed 
during the day time but is continued at night. The nights are 
slightly cooler and the danger of heat stroke is eliminated. During 
the day caravans stop near village ponds surrounded by large shady 
trees. There the men, after washing off the thick layer of cust 


*) Or what other explanation could there be for old Mr. Lohr’s condi- 
tion who often told the writer that he never felt so well and never was so 
comfortable as when he had fever? 


16 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


which accumulated during the night’s travel on their faces and 
limbs, spend the day, cooking and eating their frugal meals and rest- 
ing under their carts, while their buffaloes wallow in the water and 
mire of the pond. Under favorable circumstances, i. e-, when wa- 
ter is plentiful, nothing is visible of the big animals except their 
bulky heads and terrible horns. But such favorable circumstances 
do not exist everywhere at this time of year. Many ponds are quite 
dry and others have only a splash of water left that is badly dis- 
colored ; it emits a most repulsive stench and is, of course, the home 


Reception by a Rajah to a missionary 


of innumerable mosquitoes and microbes. Many villages have no 
other water than this for drinking, cooking and washing. The first 
visitors to the village pond at dawn in the morning, as a rule, are the 
buffaloes that come for their morning drink and bath. Soon afier, 
just about at sunrise, the people also arrive. The women, who cone 
carrying large earthen or brass water jars on their heads and an 
extra garment on their arm, use one side of the pond and tne men 
the other. They wade in to their hips, brush their teeth with a stick 
of wood, take their bath and wash the garment they happen to wear. 
Then they go back to the shore and wash the extra garment they 
brought along by beating it on a large stone (no soap is used) ; and 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 7 


finally they pick up their jars, wade in a certain distance and fill 
them for drinking and cooking purposes at home. 

Along the main road the government has made wells about ten 
miles apart, but even these often run dry, and others cannot be used, 
because of the water being as stagnant as that of the ponds, or per- 
haps even more so for the simple reason that most people abhor well- 
water as defiled and therefore will not use it. The wild beasts of 
the jungle under cover of the night travel miles and miles for their 


Women carrying water 


drink; and domestic animals, such as cattle, sheep and goats, are be- 
ing reduced to mere skeletons from the want of feed and water. The 
missionary travelling in outlying districts often has to content him- 
self with the water as he finds it. 

At the station it has become impossible for man to work, eat, 
or sleep in the house except under the pankah (fan) ; but to sleep 
out in the open with no other roof than the sky is ever so much bet- 
ter than the fan, and this is what most people resort to at this time 
of the year. ‘Tho the hot season is the most trying one of the year, 
yet it is not as unhealthy as the following season. 

3. The rainy season begins with terrific dry thunder storms 


18 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


towards the end of May. Seeing the clouds pass by for days and 
weeks without giving off any of their coveted moisture is indeed a 
severe test of patience. But when finally, early in June, the rains 
break, a great sigh of relief seems to go forth not only from the 
breast of man, but from the whole creation. The first shower with 
its strong wind cools down the atmosphere from ten to fifteen de-. 
grees. The doors and windows, which were kept tightly shut during 
the day since March, are being thrown open to give free entrance 
to the fresh air. The soil seems to respond almost instantaneously 
to the magic touch of the wizard rain, and in a few days the surface 
everywhere is decked with a luxuriant growth of grass. Everything 
revives and nature seems to vie with man in its diverse activities. As 
soon as the ground is cultivated rice is sown and soon sprouts lus- 
tily—a sight that brings pleasure to the eye and joy to the heart. 
The average rainfall is forty-eight inches in Chattisgarh, and as 
this amount of water has to come down during June, July, August 
and September it is self-evident that there can not be many bright 
days during that period. . 

But the new-comer to India realizes after a comparatively short 
time that the rainy season is not an unmixed blessing after all. 
Snakes, scorpions and all their creepy, slimy relatives take shelter 
with him under the same roof and cause much annoyance. All kinds 
of insects seem to have made their home with him for the purpose 
of making life miserable; and lizards and spiders are looked upon 
as friends and allies in the fight to exterminate the little tormentors. 
Things in the house, especially metal ware, but also wood, that in 
May felt hot to the touch are now damp and sticky. The bed sheets 
are clammy. Leather loses its polish and, unless carefully looked af- 
ter, shoes and clothing will get musty and mouldy. Severe colds 
and fever, diarrhea and dysentery are the natural results of draught 
and dampness, and at the end of the rainy season, until well into the 
cold season, there is more illness in India than during any other 
part of the year. All of this is gladly borne, however; for woe unto 
India, should the rains fail! A failure in crops is sure to follow, 
and the resulting famine is a calamity so appalling that the trials 
of the rainy season seem very insignificant in comparison. Rice 
can not be raised without copious and continuous rains.. 

Rice is the main food of the people; by those who can afford it, 
it is eaten with a gravy called curry, heavily seasoned with a 
powder which is made up of many spices. The poor people eat rice 
twice a day and the wealthy people three times. There is a difference 
in the quality and quantity of rice, but rice it is all the time for the 
rich and the poor. Spoons and forks are disdained, the fingers of the 
right hand only being used instead. 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 19 


Vegetables are rare in kind and scant in quantity. ‘To some 
castes all things that grow under ground are prohibited. But dal, 
a sort of a lentil that is often grown as a second crop after rice in > 
favorable seasons, forms an addition to a meal of rice that is very 
acceptable to most people. No Hindu eats beef and very few people 
eat meat of any kind. Therr religion puts a ban on killing ana 
eating anything from the animal kingdom. 


Water is the common beverage; coffee is not used by the natives, 


A Group of Village Children 


but they are fond of tea. The people as a whole are total abstainers 
from intoxicating drinks, there being but a few low caste people who 
indulge in a very vile intoxicant that is made from the berries of a 
native tree. It is a disgrace to be under the influence of hquor and 
a drunkard is a very rare exception. It is a pity, however, that so 
many people are addicted to the use of drugs. Opium is commonly 
used as a stimulant, it being taken either in the form of. pills or 
smoked in pipes. The respective common expressions for these acts: 
“bal khana” (to eat strength) or “bal pina” (to drink strength) are 
very suggestive as to their purpose. Tobacco is used by many and 
abhorred by comparatively few. 

On the whole, the people of Chhattisgarh do not make great de- 


20 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


mands on life. Ags in food so in regard to shelter their needs are 
easily satisfied. By far the greatest part of the people live in mud 
houses with thatched roofs of leaves, hay or straw. The better houses 
are built of stone and have tile roofs. As a rule the huts have but 
one room which is sometimes divided into sleeping and living rooms 
by a thin, low partition of lattice work formed by dry sticks. There 
is no furniture to speak of except, perhaps, a low stool or a very 
primitive bedstead of meshed ropes. The floor takes the place of 
chairs, tables and beds. Floor and walls are kept clean and smooth, 
and, in a measure, sanitary by an occasional application of diluted 
cow-dung or white wash. ‘There are one or two small window open- 
ings, but no glass panes; some have wooden shutters, some are pro- 
tected by lattice work. These primitive houses are rarely built well 
enough to serve adequately the purpose for which they are intended. 
They keep off neither heat, nor cold, nor rain. 


But the people are very fond of clothes, also of brass, silver and 
gold ornaments. In these things they are all inclined to be extrava- 
gant and vain and will eagerly seize every opportunity to “show off.” 
But peasants or laborers who earn but from 4—8 cents a day are na- 
turally very much limited in all expenses. They can not spend more 
than from one to two dollars a year per person on clothes. Styles 
never change in India among the poorer class of people who adhere 
to their native religion. The manner of dress is slightly influenced 
by caste, perhaps; but on the whole there is little diversity, the prin- 
ciple distinction being between Hindus and Mohammedans. The 
latter cover scrupulously every part of their body whereas the former 
frequently wear but a loin cloth that leaves the upper part of the 
body as well as the legs from the knee down bare. This cotton gar- 
ment is a piece of white cloth with a red border, usually about a yard 
wide and several yards long so that it can be draped, if so desired, 
over shoulders and chest after one part has been fastened over the 
hips by a cord worn around the body for this purpose. But most 
men like to wear a cotton jacket (smock) that reaches down over the 
hips. The same kind of cloth is worn by the women, only that 
it is wider and much longer, because they always cover the upper part 
of their body (they wear a tight fitting cotton bodice under the outer 
garment) and below it reaches to the ankles; the border also is more 
ornamental. For special occasions the women like red garments of 
silk, if possible, with patterns woven in. Of course, the wealthy 
are very lavish in dress and ornaments. As all Orientals, they have 
a strong preference for bright colors. 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 21 


Population and Religion \ 


The population of Chhattisgarh is about four millions. Raipur 
with 35,000 inhabitants, is the largest of the few cities Chattisgarh 
can boast. Many of the thousands of Hindu castes and subcastes 
are represented in Chhattisgarh, but the large majority of the people 
are agriculturists. The Hindus form the majority of the population. 
The term Hindu must be understood in a religious and not in a na- 
tionalistic sense. National consciousness has only been awakened in 
comparatively recent times among the educated part of the popula- 
tion. ‘The mass of the people have scarcely been touched by it as 
yet. But the National Congress, a political body of Hindus and 
Mohammedans who are laboring for the national self-determination 
of India, is making its influence felt more and more. 


The aborigines of Chhattisgarh are the Gonds, a jungle tribe, 
probably of Dravidian origin; they are darker and sturdier in ap- 
pearance, more uncouth in manners, less intelligent than the Hin- 
dus, but generally speaking they are more trustworthy and reliable 
in their dealings than their Aryan brethren. 


Many of the different religions of India are represented in 
Chhattisgarh: Hindwsm, Jainism, Mohammedanism, and, mostly 
among the lower classes, the religion of Kabir (Kabirpanth) and the 
Satnami religion. Buddhism is practically extinct. A few very old, 


tottering temples, wliere worship was abandoned ages ago, are 


the only remnants of this comparatively superior system. The Gonds 
adhere to their own ancient religion, but have been largely influenced 
by the Hindu religion and customs. 


But no matter what religion the people may nominally adhere 
to, they are all under the sway of superstition. vil spirits, ghosts, 
hob-goblins, witches, haunted houses and trees, etc., take up much 
more space in the thought-life of the average man and woman in 
Chhattisgarh than the thirty-three millions of different incarnations 
of the deity put together. This abject fear of what they consider 
supernatural powers makes the country a veritable Eldorado for the 
conjurer and exorcist. These “arts” are generously practiced by all 
kinds of “saints” who always make the poor people pay for their 
“services” to the limit of their ability. Many are the devices for 
the protection against and the propitiation of the spirits, witches, 
etc. Amulets of all sorts are in great favor and worn by every- 
body. The writer saw many a tree gandily.decorated with hundreds 
of small rags hung up in its branches by people desiring to gain fa- 
vor with the “demon” who was supposed to have taken up his abode 
in that tree. 


22 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


The Satnamis, on whose behalf an appeal was made at the Bom- 
bay missionary conference in 1868, are not a tribe or a caste, but a 
religious sect. Their teaching has much in common with that of 
the Kabirpanth,* but the sect is of much more recent origin. It is, 
however, not at all unlikely that Ghasidas (about 1800 A. D.), the 
founder and promoter of the Satnami religion, got his ideas from 
the Kabirpanth. It.is also possible that on his pilgrimages he had 
somehow or other come in contact with the Christian religion. 


Ghasidas’ teaching can be summed up as follows: There is but 


A Rajah returns the visit of the missionary 


one, invisible God, creator of the universe. Idolatry is. sinful. All 
men are brethren. The distinctions made on account of race, color, 
and caste are all wrong. God’s name has not been revealed. Men 


tk 


) Kabirpanth—the way of Kabir, the saint and reformer, who lived 
about 1440-1518. “The Indian Luther of the fifteenth century.” His religion 
may be described as a mixture of Hinduism, Mohammedanism and Christian- 
ity. It was a sincere attempt to reform Hinduism by cleansing it from idol- 
atry and caste. The sect has-perhaps up to a million adherents. Their 
headquarters are at Dharmakhera, a village within three miles of Bisrampur. 
Whereas very few Hindus from the higher castes have embraced the Sat- 
a Pate ta the Kabirpanth claims a goodly number of converts from the 
pper classes. ; 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 23 


should therefore not apply any name to Him, but worship Him as 
Satya Nam—the True Name. Ghasidas preached this religion in 
Chhattisgarh, proclaiming himself the forerunner of a white man, a 
great teacher (guru), who would come in his own time and reveal to 
them the true name of God. 

It is astonishing that upon such a splendid religious foundation 
an ethical structure should have been reared that is fairly reeking 
with iniquity and vileness. Some of their practices and habits are 
so vicious and filthy that they are simply beyond description. They 
are certainly “corrupt according to the deceitful lusts of the flesh.” 

The writer has not been able to discover whether these practices, 
in many cases involving atrocities, were instituted by the founder, 
or whether they were introduced by their successors; there is no 
literature on the subject and the people are either reticent or ignor- 
ant about it. It is more than likely, however, that they were intro- 
duced and developed by such gurus* as Amardas and Sahibdas, who 
did so much to promote and fortify the Satnami sect; all of which 
was done with the selfish end in view of increasing the revenue of 
the guru, whose principal occupation is to collect the tribute his ad- 
herents pay him, and to spend it in his lewd pleasures. Amardas 
built a great store house (Bhandar), in order to secure his riches 
against thievery on the part of his followers. He had two success- 
ors: Agardas, who took up his residence in Bhandar, and Sahibdas, 
who attempted not only to imitate but supersede the great building 
at Bhandar by an even greater structure at the neighboring village 
Tellashi. But Sahibdas was murdered in a wheat field before he 
could complete his plans, by a band of Rajputs who could no longer 
endure his arrogance. ‘They had stood much of it, but he over- 
stepped the limit when he directed ‘this followers to wear the janeo 
(the sacred cord) which only Brahmans (priests) and Rajputs (war- 
riors) are permitted to wear. The two sons of Agardas are at pres- 
ent the recognized gurus of the Satnamis. They can neither read 
nor write and live notoriously bad lives, not even observing the ten- 
. ets of their own religion. 


The Satnami gurus, Ghasidas excepted, have never attempted 
to elevate their followers morally or intellectually. Not a single 
school was ever built or conducted by them. They claim to be able 
to do what other gurus in India are said to do, that is, to mediate 
between God and man. The Satnami guru visits every village, where 
his disciples live, once a year, but enters the place only upon the 
payment (usually in advance) of a proportionate sum of money. 
The partly childish, partly revolting ceremonies, that are then per- 


*) Guru: teacher, priest, mediator. 


24 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


formed, are capped by the washing of the guru’s feet. Thereby the 
water is transformed into amrit (immortality, or water of life) 
which his followers drink! 

The founder of the sect had prohibited idolatry, but now the 
living guru and the graves of the departed gurus form objects of 
worship. And at the great Hindu fairs (festivals for idol worship) 
the Satnamis participate in large numbers. ‘They are not admitted 
to the temples, however, but will crowd around and break their co- 
coanuts for sacrifice and offering at the base of the temples. At a 
fair, where the writer went to preach, a Satnami was unmercifully 
beaten by the Hindus, because he had been discovered among the 
worshippers within the sacred enclosure; his presence there had 
defiled the sanctuary. 


The adherents of the Satnami sect are mostly chamars (tan- 
ners and shoemakers*), who belong to the shudras (low caste peo- 
ple). By becoming Satnamis they sank to the still lower plane of 
pariahs (outcasts). They were formerly despised and shunned on 
account of their occupation (handling of carcasses and hides) ; but 
by joining the Satnami sect they became simply execrable. The num- 
ber of Hindus who joined the sect must have been very limited, but 
there were some, to be sure. The result of this mixture is that all 
Satnamis are considered outcasts, since they have broken the rule of 
caste by eating, inter-marrying and otherwise associating with peo- 
ple of castes other than their own. 

Like other outcasts, the Satnamis occupy a separate part of a 
Hindu village, if they are allowed to settle there at all. A high 
caste man hesitates to enter that part of the village and in many 
places the Satnami (or chamra as he is called in contempt) is not 
permitted to enter the Hindu section. To touch a Satnami would 
contaminate the Hindu of high caste, and the latter cannot receive 
anything directly from the Satnami’s hand. A coin, or a letter, or 
whatever happens to be the object of transfer in the hands of the 
Satnami, must have come in contact with the earth before a Hindu 
can handle it. 


By the government officials the Chamars were always regarded 
as a criminal class, and if the perpetrator of a given crime cannot 
be detected, the wily Hindu or Mohammedan police will be sure to 
find some poor “chamra,” who has to expiate the crime. 


The village headmen and government officials are entitled to 
a certain amount of tributary service from the village tennants; 


, *¢ But many chamars (accent on last syllable), almost all those in 
Chhattisgarh, have abandoned their trades and taken up agriculture or day 
labor of some kind. 


of America in Chhattisgarh, Wadia 25 


but the “chamra” is always discriminated against in this respect 
and is always compelled to do more than his share. 

When Mr. Lohr first came to Chhattisgarh he found some vil- 
lages where the Satnami had to wear a prescribed dress that dis- 
tinguished him in a contemptuous sense from the Hindus. The 
Satnami women were not permitted to cover the upper part of their 
body. 

Oppressed and abhorred by everybody, it is but small wonder 
that such inherent traits of Hindu character as deceitfulness, un- 
truthfulness and sexual vice should be especially developed among 
the Satnamis. Making generous allowance for all the good excep- 
tions on the side of the Satnamis, it must still be admitted that the 
Satnamis as a class rank lower in morals than any other section of 
the Hindu community. 


7s Be % 


It was to these people that the Rev. O. Lohr was called to preach 
the gospel of salvation. What people were more in need of it than 
they? Mr. Lohr arrived at Raipur on May 31, 1868, after a long, 
tedious journey and was made welcome by the government officials 
as the pioneer missionary to Chhattisgarh. They recognized in the 
missionary the vanguard of civilization. A large tract of jungle 
land (1600 acres) was purchased by aid of the officials at a nominal 
price as a freehold (exempt from taxation) fromm the government.” 
This property is situated on the main road connecting Raipur with 
Bilaspur, the second largest city in Chhattisgarh. ‘The mission sta- 
tion was therefore located about thirty-eight miles north of Raipur 
in a section thickly settled by Satnamis. This distance had to be 
covered frequently, either on horseback or per bullock-cart, by the 
missionary and his two sons, since much of the building material 
and the mechanics as well as all provisions had to be brought in from 
Raipur. 

The work of building a mission station was immediately begun 
by the erection of a temporary mission house in native style. The 
station was named Bisrampur, which means City of Rest. The dig- 
ging of a well was one of the first things to be undertaken, and then 
followed, in the course of time, the building of the different acces- 
sory houses, such as kitchen, stable, servants’ quarters, etc. The 
temporary mission house had to be replaced by a permanent struc- 
ture, and the need of a house of worship also made itself felt before 
very long. | 


*) Two years later he was also able to purchase the village of Ganesb- 
pur containing 300 acres. 


26 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


About two acres were set apart and cultivated for a vegetable 
garden. A flower garden was laid out in front of the mission house, 
roads had to be built, for the land was low and Hable to be turned 
into a swamp during the rains. Much was done from the very be- 
ginning to beautify the place and in this respect the example of Bis- 
rampur has beer imitated at all our other stations. In the course 
of time there arose from out of the wilderness a habitation that was 
the wonder of Chhattisgarh. 


Altho the missionary had to make his own plans and superin- 
tend all the work and do part of it himself, he nevertheless found 
time to establish schools and preach the gospel to the thousands of 
Satnamis who flocked to Bisrampur to see and hear the white guru 
foretold by their guru Ghasidas. He revealed unto them the One 
True Name, that name of which it is said that “‘in none other is 
there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, 
that is given among men, wherein we must be saved.” But they 
were not ready to receive it, for in that Name all the vile and super- 
stitious practices so dear to them stood condemned. At the end of 
the first year’s work, three Satnamis were baptized into the Chris- 
tian faith. Mr. Lohr’s nine years of experience in the Gossner mis- 
sion, where he had also acquired the language of the country 
(Hindi), stood him in good stead and made him an ideal pioneer 
missionary for Chhattisgarh. 


Since Mr. Lohr’s arrival in Chhattisgarh great changes have 
taken place there. Instead of one mission station we now count six. 
If the readers of this booklet were to take a trip to our mission field 
their first stop would be at Raipur. In the following pages our 
readers will visit all our mission stations and become acquainted 
with the work and the workers. 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India Ine 


OUR MISSION STATIONS 


tl 


Raipur 


The mail train from Bombay arrives there at two o’clock in 
the afternoon. The journey takes about twenty-two hours. If the 
train is not crowded, and you have your own bedding, you travel 
with a fair degree of comfort. At the Raipur station an expected 


Old Mission House, Raipur (native mortar mixer in foreground) 


visitor is sure to receive a hearty welcome. At least one of the mis- 
sionaries will be on hand to take care of you. The mission com- 
pounds are less than two miles from the railway station 
and on the way to them you will pass several residences of govern- 
ment officials, the district jail, the town hall, the museum and the 
two court houses. These are good looking, substantial buildings 
and help you realize that the arm of civilization has reached out to 
Chhattisgarh. Arriving at the “new mission house”, which fronts 
north on a side street, you will be received so cordially that you will 


28 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


feel at home immediately. This beautiful bungalow was built by 
the Rey. J. Gass in 1897—1898 and has been occupied by him and 
his family ever since. The house has a tasteful exterior and is com- 
fortable and roomy inside. The pleasant guest chamber is all ready 
for you and a big bunch of roses breathes a fragrant welcome to the 
guest. After a short rest and a delicious cup of tea you will be ready 
to “make the round.” The late afternoon or the early morning 
hours will be found the most agreeable time for this. But before we 
start out let us recall briefly the history of Raipur station. 


Raipur has been a mission station since 1870, when the Rey. 
John Frank began the work there. He built the old mission house 
with his personal means, and when he had to leave India in 1875 
on account of Mrs. Frank’s illness, he made the property over to the 
mission. The work at Raipur had to be abandoned then until the 
-Rev. A. Stoll was located there in 1879. A school house and a church 
were then erected, and the mission house was considerably enlarged. 
“In 1886 the Rev. Th. Tanner who, together with the Rey. J. Jost, had 
come to India in 1885, took charge of the station, while Mr. Stoll 
was appointed to begin a new station at Chandkuri, a village situated 
‘12 miles north of Bisrampur. Messrs. Tanner and Jost were the first 
‘missionaries sent out by.our Church, which had taken over the mis- 
sion from the “German Evangelical Mission Society in the United 
States” in 1884. Mr. Tanner who had proved a valuable addition 
to the missionary force had to leave India after three and one half 
years on account of illness. Mr. Stoll then returned to Raipur and 
carried on the work alone until in 1894 Mr. Gass was transferred 
from Bisrampur, where he had spent a few months in language 
study, to Raipur. From 1905 till 1909 the writer assisted in the work 
at Raipur. In October 1913 the Rey. Theodore Seybold arrived in 
Ratpur and has been stationed there since. 


The Rev. A. Stoll remained at his post in Raipur until his 
death in 1919, at the age of 76 years, after having given almost 40 
years of his life to our work and about 5 years to the Basel mission 
in India before he entered our field. Since he entered our work, al- 
most 40 years ago, he was never home on furlough, but was content 
with an annual vacation at one of the recreation stations in the hills. 
Mrs. Stoll, who survives him, was his faithful co-worker during all 
those years of toil and hardship and self-renunciation. Mr. Stoll’s 
literary activity in the vernacular (Hindi) deserves, and has re- 
ceived, special recognition. 

i And now we are ready to go on our sight-seeing trip thru the 
varlous compounds. Since we are making our home with the Rey. 
and Mrs. Gass in the “new mission house” we shall begin our inspec- 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 29 


Church at Raipur (gift of the Young People’s League) 


tion right there. This compound consists of about five acres of land. 
It is very poor soil, but Mr. Gass has contrived to convert about an 
acre of it into a beautiful garden. There are roses, lilies and chry- 
santhemums in abundance, considerable shrubbery, also some vege- 
tables and a few fruit trees, while a small greenhouse contains a 
goodly number of rare and beautiful plants. The garden is watered 


30 . Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


from the well, but the city supplies the water for the house from the 
/ main pipe of the water works, situated four miles south of Raipur on 
the banks of a small river. You walk thru the garden in order to 
get to the Boys’ Boarding House on the southeast corner of the com- 
pound. Mrs. Gass, who assists her husband with so much ability and 
sympathy, has charge of it and she will take you there. It is a plain- 
looking structure with no other furniture than the small pine wood 
boxes in which each boy keeps his few belongings. ‘The food consists 
of rice and curry and the boys sleep on the floor, wrapped up in a 
blanket. The white washed walls are adorned with Sunday school 
lesson pictures and Bible verses in large letters, made by the boys 
themselves. 


The orphanages at the other stations are similarly equipped and 
managed. But the Raipur boarding house for boys is primarily 
maintained here so that parents of Christian boys can send their 
children for a better education to Raipur, where the mission con- 
ducts an English Middle School and a High School. The govern- 
ment also maintains a High School and a Normal School here. The 
mission bears the larger share of the expenses of the boarding house, 
but the parents are expected to. contribute a certain amount eacn 
month. 


From the orphanage we will go back the way we came and stroll 
over to the old mission-house, the former home of Rev. and Mrs. A. 
Stoll. The old mission compound comprises about six acres of land 
and is beautified by a large number of splendid old trees and a fine 
garden. Besides the old mission house, which is so arranged that 
two small families can live-in it, this compound contains: 1.) the 
church, a large, substantial edifice erected by the aid of the Federa- 
tion of Young People’s Societies of our Church, 2.) the old church, 
small and somewhat dilapidated, now used as a training school for 
native preachers or catechists; 3.) the boys’ school with an atten- 
dance of 650 boys, mostly Hindus and Mohammedans (the school 
has two departments—Hindi and English, the latter constituting the 
Middle School) ; 4.) the humble dwellings of four native preachers ; 
5.) a number of small houses to accommodate about twenty students 
of the training school for native workers. 


A short walk will then take you to the Zenana compound. This 
is situated to the south of the old mission compound and 
comprises about five and one half acres of fairly good soil. The 
Zenana home is the most substantial of all our mission houses; it 
was acquired by purchase at a bargain price, but required consider- 
able alterations, since it had been built by anative lawyer with Indian 
notions of comfort, light and ventilation. Having arrived at the 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 31 


Zenana Home we will take Miss Kettler who is in charge of the 
training school for Bible women (4 years course) for our guide. 


Women’s Work in Raipur 
ELISE KETTLER 


“A visit to the compound where the single lady missionaries 
live will acquaint you with the nature of the work in which they 
are engaged. 


_ No mission work is complete unless attention is given to work : 


At Dinner in the Boarding House at Raipur (Mrs. Gass in the center 
of the group) 


among women and especially is this true in India, where women are 
subjected to child marriage, enforced widowhood and absolute se- 
clusion, three of the worst evils existing in the world. 


As you come thru the compound gate you may see a group of 
children marching from the Girls’ Home to the Salem School, erected 
by Salem church of Rochester, N. Y. The school and home are 
on the same side of the compound and between them are several 
small houses where the school teachers live. 


32 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


Mission High School, Raipur 


Miss Wobus has charge of the Girls’ Home, the Salem School, 
embracing a middle school for girls, and also a school in the heart of 
the city, which is attended principally by non-Christian girls. 

The majority of the Salem School pupils are Christians, many 
of them being daughters of our catechists who are laboring in out- 
stations where the educational advantages are not so good as in 
Raipur. Each of these schools is attended by almost a hundred 
girls. 

The sad feature connected with the education of non-Christian 
girls in India is, that at about the age of ten, just when they are the 
most impressionable, they are taken out of school to be married. 
Child marriage is one of the awful customs decreed by the Hindu 
religion. It has stood at the very springs of the life of the nation 
and prevented the normal expansion of which it is capable. We can 
well-imagine to what depths a nation must fall that has girls of 
twelve as mothers. 


Some of these unfortunate mothers after becoming widows or 
suffering desertion have found refuge with their children in our 
Kochring Home, which is located on the other side of the compound. 
This worthy home for destitute women was erected in 1915 by Mrs. 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 33 


Frigge, in memory of her father, Mr. Koehring. This institution 
is now in charge of Miss Diefenthaler, who teaches the women how 
to read and write and trains them in the art of needle work or other 
employment by which they can earn a little money. Our en- 
deavor is to build them up spiritually, mentally and physically, and 
to exercise an influence over them that will enable them to live bet- 
ter, purer, nobler lives. 


Before you leave the headquarters for women’s work you will 
want to call on the ladies who have the work in charge. Their bun- 
galow is located in the center of the compound and is the home which 


Rev. Seybold and Teachers of the High School, Raipur 


was purchased with the money bequeathed by Mr. Miller of New 
York. As you approach the bungalow, if it is in the afternoon, you 
will find the Bible women, (native helpers) gathered in class on the 
veranda with their missionary, likely they are preparing for an ex- 
amination. 


We have a prescribed course of study for our Bible women cover- 
ing a period of four years and each year they are examined before a 
committee of missionaries appointed by our mission conference. 


Should the time of your visit be the early morning you would 
find these same Biblewomen gathered on the maneanidak with their 


34 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


missionary, praying for guidance and help, before starting on their 
daily round of zenana Visitation. 

The apartment where the Indian women are kept in seclusion 
is called “Zenana’. These zenana women can be reached only by 
women and the-only way to reach them is to visit them in their 
homes. Some of the women whom we visit are mothers of our mis- 
sion school pupils and some are former pupils. 

In about a hundred homes in Raipur the gospel message is 
carried regularly in word and song; comfort, cheer and medical aid 
are given when needed and if time permits, instruction is given in 
reading, writing and sewing. 

The zenana work was started by Mrs. Gass; she handed it over 
to Mrs. Nussmann (then Miss Uffmann) in 1902, who continued 
until her marriage, then Miss Graebe superintended it until her fur- 
lough was due. When Miss Graebe returned to America, Miss Ket- 
tler had charge of the zenana work and now it is in the hands of - 
Miss Diefenthaler who is also superintendent of the Koehring Home 
for destitute women. 

This work has grown to such large proportions that it affords 
ainple work for a number of missionaries. There are more homes 
open to us than we are able to enter, and the pity is that we cannot 
take advantage of these splendid opportunities. The harvest indeed 
is great but the laborers are few.” 

. . 

The lady missionary is a most welcome visitor to those poor se- 
cluded girls and women who are intentionally kept in the darkness 
of ignorance. According to Hindu teaching woman is so inferior to 
man that she is but little above the animal. She is the slave of her 
husband and the servant of his mother. “A woman’s god is her hus- 
band” is the sum and substance of Hindu teaching on this subject. 
The unspeakable misery resulting from this view and the pernicious 
custom of child marriage combine to make the condition of Indian 
womanhood one of utter degradation and helpless captivity. Think 
of the two million child-wives under eight years of age! Think of 
the twenty-one million widows, about eight millions of whom are 
children, who never even knew their husbands to whom they were 
married at the tender age of two to four years! Now they are held 
responsible for the death of their husbands and are made to explate 
an Imaginary crime of a former incarnation by a life of slavery and 
hopeless despondency. Being under a curse they will never marry 
again. Think of the 20,000 girls dedicated annually to temple ser- 
vice, innocent children given up by their parents to a life of sin and 
shame. The suffering, degradation and sin a woman missionary is 
often called upon to witness in the zenanas is heart-rending and baf- 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 35 


fles description. But she brings to them “the balm of Gilead” and 
can point them to the Man of Nazareth, the true champion of op- 


pressed womanhood. 


“b “b cb 


A Hindu Christian Lawyer (one of our boys) 


The latest addition to our work is the high school for boys in 
charge of the Rev. Theodore C. Seybold, who came to India in 1913. 
The need of this work was felt many years ago, for as far back as 
in 1907 Mr. Gass and the writer made plans for this work, and in 
1909 at the convention at Buffalo, N. Y., the writer secured a pledge 
from the New York Young People’s League to raise $2000.00 for 


36 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


this purpose. A very handsome school building and hostel were 
erected on the old cantonment grounds (for Raipur was a garrison 
some 30 years ago) which is situated southeast from the other mis- 
sion compounds at a distance of about one mile. The school was 
opened by the Rev. J. Gass in 1911 with 9 pupils, and is at- 
tended by 135 pupils at this time, many of whom are non-Christians. 
28 boys are now living at the hostel (students’ home), that means 
that they are constantly under Christian influence. The work on 
this high school compound is of tremendous importance; Mr. Sey- 
bold correctly speaks of it as a work full of encouragement and joys 
for the present and full of possibilities and far-reaching opportuni- 
ties for the future. It is surprising how many native government of- 
ficials are graduates from mission schools. In dealing with them one 
will usually find that they retain much respect for missionaries and 
for the Christian religion; and as a rule they are kindly inclined 
toward missionary enterprises, especially along educational lines. 
They have it in their power to befriend or harm our work and the 
success of new ventures often depends on their good will. Many 
of them are not far from the kingdom of God even tho they did not 
embrace Christianity publicly. It has been truly said that a boy 
who receives his education in a mission school can never be a “good 
Hindu” in a religious sense. They may not have enough courage to 
become Christians, but they are ashamed of Hinduism and fre- 
quently openly denounce idolatry and the caste system. The writer 
knew a prominent. lawyer, holding an important place in the mun- 
icipal government of Raipur, who sent two boys to the mission 
school. One day he mentioned with evident delight that his boys 
always said for their evening prayer the Lord’s prayer. 

Besides the zenana work and the girls’ school in the city 
proper we maintain a reading room and lecture hall for the better 
educated men in Raipur. ‘The masses are more easily reached by 
the evangelistic meetings at the principal bazar where we have a 
preaching stand. For years and years, every afternoon except Sun- 
days, Mr. Stoll went faithfully with some catechists and students to 
the bazar to proclaim to all who would listen the glad tidings of sal- 
vation. In connection with these meetings, which consist of sing- 
ing, preaching and, testimonies, Bibles, separate bocks of the scrip- 
tures, hymn books and tracts are sold, or given away to those who 
can not pay for them. 

‘At the end of 1918 the congregation at Raipur had 782 mem- 
bers ; 17 catechists and 58 teachers are employed; there are 15 out- 
stations: the schools number 73 (including village ae and the 
number Of Lae instructed is 1797. 

The Rev. J. Gass is at the head of this great work at Raipur. 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 37 


A great deal of the development of our mission is due to his fore- 
sight and inspiration and to his unceasing, devoted labor. 

Mr. Gass is director of the Catechist Seminary, founded by him 
in 1898, for the training of native preachers and teachers, and has 
charge of the boys’ school, Sunday school, the C. E. Society, out- 
stations and village schools. His medical practice, for which he had 
special training, is also quite extended. He is president of the field 
conference and secretary (manager) of the Raipur (municipal) 
leper asylum which has about seventy inmates. Mr. Gass came to 
India in 1893 and has been home on furlough once. He has now 
seen about 26 years of service. 


Some Junior Christian Endeavorers 


The mission station is just within the confines of the cwil sia- 
tion, (situated to the east of the city proper) which was reserved 
for government purposes. The first native houses are one block 
west of the church. The city of Raipur has about 35,000 inhabi- 
tants: Hindus and Mohammedans. The Hindus are in the major- 
ity by far, and almost every one of the religious sects of Hinduism 
is represented in Raipur. ‘Temples large and small are there in 
great number; also several mosques. ‘T’he place is intensely religious. 


38 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


The devotees of Ram (an incarnation of Vishnu) and of Mahadeo 
(an incarnation of Shiva) are perhaps equal in number. The larg- 
est temple in Raipur is devoted to the service of Ram Chandra; great 
tracts of land in its vicinity are temple property.. The temple it- 
self is a conglomeration of a number of buildings that were erected 
without any attempt at harmony or symmetry. A few of the details 
appeal to the eye, but the ornamental carving on the exterior of the 
main edifice, within the enclosure, are disgustingly vulgar and ob- 
scene. The mahant (high priest), has always a set of twenty to 
thirty bairagies (saints), on hand, who feast off the offerings made 


Chapel at Jora, Raipur Station 


at the temple; idiots and knaves number about even among them. 
They are either almost naked or else arrayed in gorgeous robes, their 
faces aflame with the sacred colors. Their demeanor is usually 
haughty and distant when approached by a foreigner. Some will not 
answer when spoken to, and as a rule it is difficult to get an intelli- 
gent answer from any of them. In an argument it often develops 
that the missionary knows more about the Hindu religion than they 
themselves do, and on other subjects of conversation these saints are 
even more ignorant. Opium and licentious living have in many cases 
seriously impaired their intellectual faculties. 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 39 


Raipur is the capital city of Chhattisgarh. Here resides the 
uncrowned king of the district: the commissioner. A rather large 
number of Kuropean officials also have their headquarters at Raipur. 
The commissioner, the political agent, the deputy commissioner, the 
sessions Judge, the civil surgeon, the inspector of schools, the princi- 
pal of the school for native princes, the superintendent of police, 
two engineers and their assistants, the forest officer, the superinten- 
dent of the jail, the assistant commissioner—all of these are usually 
Kuropeans (Britons). The missionaries participate in the social 
life of the station to a certain extent. Their relations with the of- 
ficials are for the most part of a very agreeable nature. It is not 
easy to find a finer body of men anywhere than the civil servants of 
the British crown in India as the writer has met them. 


Conference of Missionaries, 1909 


40 . Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


Bisrampur 


To visit Bisrampur, Chandkuri and Parsabhader it 1s necessary 
to go by train from Raipur to Bhatapara, a small railway station, 
about forty miles northeast of Raipur. Even for an Indian village 
Bhatapara was a filthy and unsanitary place, but it has been greatly 
improved in recent years. Going to Bisrampur, we leave the village 
to our right as we go on per bullock-cart, or on horseback. ‘The dis- 
tance to be covered is about twelve miles and the journey consumes 
two or three hours. The station is situated several furlongs to the 
right of the main road. We appraoch it by a stately avenue of tam- 
arind trees planted by the Rev. O. Lohr. 


~ 


First Mission House, Bisrampur 


The first house to our right, belonging to the mission, is the for- 
mer police station (Mr. Julius Lohr was an honorary magistrate), 
now the home of the assistant surgeon (a native doctor). To the left 
is the hospital and dispensary, a substantial building of pleasing Oxear 
terior. Passing the big well we come to the old mission house, a 
ese roomy structure, rebtitlt in 1910, for the old house, erected 
by the Rev. O. Lohr in 1870, had become practically uninhabitable. 
A short distance southeast from the old mission house we find the 
“new mission house” built in 1893 for a third missionary. It was 
in turn occupied by the following missionaries: Becker, Nussmann 
and Nottrott who all served a term of “apprenticeship” and 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 41 


assistance at Bisrampur during their first months of language study 
in India. This building is now called the “Zenana Bungalow,” tor 
the women missionaries in charge of the special missionary work 
among the native women of Bisrampur and vicinity have taken up 
their residence here. In north-easterly direction from the zenana 
home we find the stately church, a marvel in construction consider- 
ing the time and circumstances under which it was built. The cem- 
etery is near the church. The hospital, the old mission house, 
the zenana bungalow and the church form a hollow square (slightly 
irregular) ; the large space in between is taken up by gardens and 
drive ways. The girls’ school is to the right of the zenana home, 
and the new girds’ orphanage is right in the rear of it. A 
wide road leads from the south end of the old mission house to the 
village of Bisrampur. This is a Christian settlement and the cate- 
chists and teachers have their humble but neat-looking homes here. 
This village has about 600 inhabitants, and Ganeshpur, a small, 
separate village, just inside of the southern border of the mission 
property, has about 450 inhabitants. This village had been aban- 
doned when it was acquired by the mission; it has a mixed popula- 
tion of Christians and non-Christians. There is a chapel and a 
village school at Ganeshpur. 


Village Pond at Bisrampur 


42 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


Except that the homes stand in a row and that the village is 
laid out according to a plan, Bisrampur does not differ much from 
any other Indian village. ‘The missionaries do not attempt to change 
the habits of the people as regards habitation, clothing and food ex- 
cept as to introduce certain sanitary ideas that make for cleanliness 
and health. But the people accept such changes very reluctantly 
as a rule. Bisrampur is surrounded by rice fields, and a walk of 
ten minutes takes you to a wooded tract, the only remnant of 
the former jungle. There we find the new boys’ orphanage and 
school, built by Mr. Nottrott in 1909; these are good, substantial 
buildings. The old, badly dilapidated orphanage near the hospital 


Second Mission house at Bisrampur, Mrs. Suger’s home 


had to be abandoned and was completely removed. There is but 
little left to remind one nowadays of the former condition of things 
when beasts of prey were plentiful in the vicinity of Bisrampur. The 
oldest son of the Rev. O. Lohr, Mr. Carl Lohr, was slain by a tiger 
only about a mile from the station on the banks of the Shionath. 
That tiger was in the habit of visiting the station after this sad oc- 
currence. 


Surveying the station in its entirety one can see at a glance 
that a master mind conceived and executed the plans of it. The 


of America; in Chhattisgarh, - India 43 


Rev. O. Lohr worked faithfully and zealously, without ever having 
a furlough, until he was eighty years old. He was pensioned after. 
a service of thirty-seven years and went to his reward in 1907— 


about forty years after his arrival in India. “Well done, thou good 
and faithful servant.” 


His son, the Rev. Julius Lohr, was ordained a missionary in 
1890, but long ere this he had been an able assistant to his father. 
Generally speaking it might be said that the father carried on the 
spiritual work and that the son looked more after the secular part 


Mrs. H. Suger and Biblewomen, Bisrampur 


of it, until in later years he also assisted his father in the former. 
During the famine the government, which had already honored him 
by appointing him an honorary magistrate, entrusted a large amount 
of relief work*) to him, for the efficient accomplishment of which 
he was among those decorated by the Viceroy of India with the 
Kaisar-i-Hind medal. The orphanages and the industrial plant of 
the mission (printing and lithographing, carpentry and masonry, 
etc.), were his special charge. His excellent translation of the Gos- 
pel of St. Mark into the Chhattisgarhi dialect was published shortly 


*) Our other missionaries were also engaged in relief work during 
the terrible years of famine. These (1897-1898, 1899-1900) were years 
of untold misery for the people and health-ruining labors for our missionaries. 
The orphanages of our mission were founded during these fateful years. 


44 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


before his death. He died three years before his venerable father. 
His early death was largely due to the ill-effects of the climate and 
to overwork. Mrs. Lohr, who with four children survives him, now 
lives in Brooklyn, N. Y.; she was his faithful assistant in all his la- 
bors and his devoted nurse during a protracted illness. 


The medical work has always been a special feature at Bisram- 
pur. The Rey. QO. Lohr was a pharmacist before he entered the mis- 
sion service, and for nearly forty years he daily treated scores of 
sick. He was far famed for his medical skill and people traveled 
great distances to consult him. He reported as many as 5,000 cases 
a year. The government gave an annual grant in aid of this work. 
This part of the work is now in the hands of an assistant surgeon. 


From 1905—-1914 the station was in charge of the Rev. Kk. W. 
Nottrott, ably assisted in his laborious task by Mrs. Nottrott. Mr. 
Nottrott came to India in 1892. His first three years were spent 
in Bisrampur; then followed nine years in Chandkuri where he 
founded the leper asylum. He was absent on furlough once, and 
since the autumn of 1905 carried on the work at Bisrampur, doing 
or trying to do the work of at least two men. Mr. Nottrott was 
deeply interested along the line of industrial missions and put forth 
great efforts to improve the condition of the people in this respect. 
Bamboo work (baskets, matting, etc.), and the breeding of the silk- 
worm were tried and abandoned. Carpentry and Stonecutting met 
with better success and the industrial and agricultural schools in 
connection with the boys’ orphanage and boarding school are now 
promising features of the work at Bisrampur. As in agriculture so 
in all crafts and trades, the people are very much set on their old 
ways of doing things and are very loath to exchange the customs of 
their ancestors for the “new fangled ideas” of the white man. “That 
may be all right for Bilait (Europe), but we folks don’t do thines 
that way” is a very common remark. 


When Mr. and Mrs. Nottrott went away on home leave, the 
Rey. and Mrs. Frederick Goetsch took charge of the work at Bisram- 
pur in February 1914. Mr. Goetsch came to India in December 1909. 
After a year of language study in Raipur he took charge of our mis- 
sion station at Mahasamudra, which he supervised for 9 months pre- 
ceding his permanent residence there from Nov. 1910 until Feb. 
i914, Under his administration definite progress along spiritual 
limes has been made among the native Christians, much of the seed 
sown by his predecessors has come to fruition. The congregation 
1s progressing toward the goal of self-support and a certain inde- 
pendence in management. There is, of course, a considerable in- 
come from the mission property ; a large portion of the land is rented 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India -45 


to peasants and farmers; from the sale of grass alone the mission 
realizes from Rs 500—700, annually. A Y. W. C. A. (organized in 
1907 by Mrs. L. Nottrott and further developed by Mrs. Goetsch, 
who was her husband’s intelligent and devoted co-worker) is doing 
splendid work. 

In 1919 Mr. and Mrs. Goetsch were granted home leave after 
ten years of intense self-sacrificing labor, and the station was put 
in charge of the Rev. and Mrs. Martin P. Davis who came to India 
(for the second time) in 1918. 

Special work among the native women had been inaugurated 


Conference of Missionaries, 1917 


by the Rev. and Mrs. Nottrott, for when Mrs. Helen Enslin Suger 
came to Bisrampur in 1913 she found one Bible woman at work in 
Bhatapara under supervision from Bisrampur. After the usual 
time devoted to language study, Mrs. Suger took charge of the zen- 
ana work. Thru her untiring, consecrated endeavors this work grew 
in a very gratifying way. The following lines are gleaned from her 
1918 report: 

“When the work was started here in Bisrampur there were no 


46 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


Biblewomen working here and now there are four. ‘There were no 
villages visited and the many hundreds to whom we go now did not 
hear of Jesus, their living Saviour; I mean women, for the men were 
reached many years before. Today we reach 26 villages and God 
has given us hundreds of women listeners. In Simga there were no 
Biblewomen and today there are two, and they visit almost 100 
homes and go to six villages besides. In Bhatapara there was one 
Biblewoman who worked among the low castes, and had no entrance 
into the high class homes. ‘Today we can enter every kind of a home, 
high and low caste, and the women have 150 homes on their list. 
In all, we have worked in 132 different villages and taken the Word 
of God to thousands of dear women who would never have heard it 
had God not sent us. We feel very thankful for all His mercies and 
for the blessed privilege of going to lost souls and being God’s mes- 
sengers.” These villages are within a radius of 30 miles from Bis- 
_ rampur and are reached on foot or by bullock cart. 


. In the summer of 1919 Mrs. Suger came to America on home 
leave, and will return D. v. in the fall of 1920 to again take up her 
beloved work. In the mean time it is being looked after by the Rev. 
and Mrs. Davis. 


There are now 1211 Christians connected with Bisrampur ; 
nine out-stations and ten schools; seventeen catechists; seven Bible 
women ; twenty-three teachers; 707 pupils in the various schools, 98 
orphans and 1444 Sunday school pupils. 


“ “b a 


Baitalpur (Chandkuri) 


Baitalpur is only twelve miles northeast of Bisrampur on the 
road to Bilaspur. The distance is covered in one of the customary 
conveyances. At a distance of two miles from Bisrampur we cross 
the Shionath river. If we travel during the cold season, or the hot 
weather, the crossing is easily effected in any conveyance. During 
the rains, however, ferries under government contract will take us 
across, because at this time of year the river frequently rises ten or 
fifteen feet and the current is very swift, so that the crossing is not 
effected without danger. 


_ _ Baitalpur is situated on high, rocky soil. The mission station 
is located on the right hand side of the road and the large mission 
house can be seen from a great distance. The Rev. and Mrs. J. C. 
Konig and children oceupy it, and visitors to Baitalpur are sure to 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 47 


receive a most hearty welcome from them. In front of the house is 
a pretty little flower garden to the far side of which is the well. The 
old mission house is but a short distance east and is occupied by Mr. 
and Mrs. H. P. Waggoner, who now have charge of the leper asylum. 
The girls’ school and the boys’ school are near by. Right next to 
the old mission house are two large, productive vegetable gardens. 
The large and substantial church is the connecting link between the 


Church at Chandkuri 


mission compound and the village, a Christian settlement, to the 
north of the church. 

On the west side of the road, but well set back, is the leper asy- 
lum. It is divided into two main sections: ‘The men’s ward with 
eight buildings, and the women’s ward with nine buildings. Be- 
tween the two wards, and accessible from both sides, are the church, 
the hospital, the native doctor’s and the caretaker’s quarters. In the 
space betwéen the main road and the two wards we find the three 
homes for children: one for tainted (leprous) children in two sec- 
tions ; one for untainted boys and one for untainted girls. The chil- 
dren of leprous parents are regarded as “untainted” as long as they 
do not show any symptoms of the disease; they are segregated from 
their parents in early life so as to prevent infection. As seen from 


48 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


the road, the leper asylum with its many solid, white-washed build- 
ings presents a fine view; it looks like a well conducted colony, and 
a closer inspection of the interior justifies the expectation of orderli- 
ness and cleanliness suggested to us by the exterior. 

The station we are now visiting has always been called Chand- 
kurt (moonbeam) after a nearby village west of the mission station. 
It was founded by the Rev. A. Stoll in 1886 who gave it the name 
of Baitalpur (City of Bethel). 


The land for this station was procured under considerable dif- 


The Rev. Goetsch and his staff workers 


ficulty. It would have been preferable to have the second station 
at a greater distance from Bisrampur, but it seemed impossible to 
obtain any other place farther along the road to Bilaspur; but re- 
sults have amply justified the situation. The work had hardly been 
inaugurated when Mr. Stoll’s failing health compelled him to take a 
vacation in the hill-country. Then Mr. Jost, who had been acquiring 
the language and assisting at Bisrampur, was transferred to Chand- 
kuri.. With untiring zeal, prayerful perseverance and loving pa- 
tience he toiled under most trying circumstances, and his labors have 
not been in vain as can be seen from the results. The large church 
and ihe new mission house were built by him. Schools for boys and 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 49 


eirls were opened at ihe mission station and in surroundin? villazes. 
There were many converts, especially during the years of famine; of 
these converts many left their native villages and settled on the mis- 
sion property. The majority, however, stayed in their homes, in 
some instances the whole Satnami population of a village was bap- 
tized and these villages with the Christian converts formed the out- 
stations of Baitalpur. 


Resting in Chandkuri 


When in 1897 Mr. Jost was compelled to seek restoration of his 
broken-down health, a furlough was granted him. During his 
absence the Rev. K. W. Nottrott had charge of the work at Chand- 
kuri and after Mr. Jost’s return he remained to take care of several 
outstations and to found the leper asylum. 

The famine of 1897 and the following years put these poor peo- 
ple in unspeakable misery and Mr. Nottrott devoted himself to the 
alleviation of their suffering. He leased the pasture land across the 
road from the mission station and began by erecting small temporary 
huts of mud and bamboo and dry grass as a shelter for these unfor- 
tunates, who were entirely uncared for. He managed to supply them 
with food and clothing. By dressing their ugly ulcers and dispens- 
ing medecine to them—all of which required a stout and sympathetic 
heart—much suffering was relieved and many hearts accepted eag- 
erly the tidings of the Great Physician, the friend of lepers and out- 


50 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


casts. In the course of time over 400 inmates, besides many: chil- 
dren, were being cared for there. 
The pretty church had just been completed and a large number 
of the temporary mud huts had been replaced by more suitable, per- 
manent houses when in 1904 Mr. Nottrott went home on a well- 
earned furlough. His health had been poor for some time owing 
to the climate and his incessant labors. Mrs. Nottrott had faithfully 
and intelligently assisted him by relieving him of the care of the chil- 
dren’s homes and carrying on the correspondence concerning the 


Central view of the Leper Asylum with the Gertrude Home in front 


children with their supporters in the home land. The writer, who 
had until then applied himself to language study in Raipur, was 
designated as substitute for Mr. Nottrott during his absence. He 
was in charge of the leper asylum for one year; and when he was 
transferred to Raipur in 1905 as substitute for Mr. Gass, during 
the latter’s leave of absence, the Rev. E. G. Tillmanns took charge 
until 1906, when Mr. W. H. P. Anderson took the work in hand. 
Many improvements, partly inaugurated by his predecessors, were 
completed by Mr. Anderson. A splendid hospital and a separate 
home for untainted girls were erected and well equipped. 


The main support of the asylum comes from the “Mission to 
Lepers in India and the East’, with headquarters in Dublin, 
Ireland, an organization that is doing a most commendable work and 
is worthy of unstinted praise and generous support. Thousands of 
lepers owe relief, comfort and salvation to the work of this society. 
The government of India also gives a grant-in-aid to the Chandkuri 
asylum, and our Mission furnishes the missionary-superintendent. 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 51 


A native preacher is employed and supported by the Christian con- 
gregation of the leper asylum. 

To the missionary in charge falls the work of general super- 
vision, the buying and distributing of provisions, clothing and medi- 
cine, the planning and construction of buildings. But his main work 
is spiritual, the teaching and preaching of the Christian religion. In 
this he is assisted by a native preacher ; for the medical work he has 
an assistant surgeon. The physical and moral condition of lepers is 
generally repulsive and loathsome beyond description. It is needless 


Church of the Leper Asylum at Chandkuri 


to say that the work among them calls for much humble devotion 
and self-denial. Mr. Anderson, who came to India in 1905, left a 
lucrative business position in America in order to devote himself to 
the work for lepers. His business ability was of a high order and 
told most favorably in his management of the institution entrusted 
to his care. But what was even better, he carried on the spiritual 
work with intelligent earnestness and great zeal, so that among the 
Christian lepers the fruits of the spirit became apparent in a most 
encouraging and gratifying degree. Mr. Anderson was licensed to 
baptize and to administer the Lord’s Supper. 

In 1912 the “Mission to Lepers” extended a call to Mr. Ander- 
son to become their General Secretary. This was a well-earned 
recognition of his ability and devotion. We were sorry to lose him, 
but rejoice to think of the larger opportunities this very important 
position offers for the full employment of his exceptional abilities. 

After Mr. Anderson’s resignation the Rev. M. P. Davis, who 
came to India in 1912, took charge of the leper asylum, but owing 


52 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


to Mrs. Davis’ endangered health they were compelled to return to 
America in 1913. The Rev. J. C. Kénig then had charge of the 
work until he was succeeded by Mr. H. T. Waggoner, who came to 
us from an independent mission. Since 1916 Mr. and Mrs. Waggoner 
have carried on faithfully the work that Christ so emphatically en- 
joined upon his disciples. 

Mr. Jost, who had been in India since 1885, had to go on a 
second furlough in 1997. During his absence the Rev. O. Nuss- 
mann had charge of the station. In 1908 Mr. and Mrs. Jost returned 
to their work much refreshed and invigorated; they brought back 


Leper Asylum Hospital 


with them their daughter, Miss Anna Jost, whom they had to leave 
in Germany on occasion of their first furlough and who now became 
their efficient assistant. 

There are now, including the Christians at the leper asylum, 
1048 Christians, fifteen out-stations and twelve schools connected 
with Baitalpur. Eighteen native preachers and twenty-five teachers 
are employed. There are about 300 pupils in the schools. 


The world war has had a, very depressing effect on all mission 
work. The writer has good authority for the statement that over 
2,000 mission stations were closed during the war. Our work in 
Chhattisgarh also suffered considerably. Four of our exper- 
ienced and well tried workers, Mr. and Mrs. Nottrott and Mr. and 
Mrs. Nussmann who were on furlough could not return to India be- 
cause both men were born in Germany. The fact that no pass-ports 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 7 53 


could be obtained for men of German birth, made: it impossible to 
send out several other men who were willing to go and who were so 
badly needed to fill up our sadly depleted ranks. —Mr. Nottrott, to 
be sure, rendered splendid service to our mission during his invol- 
untary stay in America by delivering innumerable lectures and ad- 
dresses, and by his scholarly literary activity on behalf of the mis- 
sion cause. But no matter how ercatly his work is appreciated here, 


Distribution of the weekly allowance of rice at the Leper Asylum 


we know that the work in Chhattisgarh, and our workers there, must 
haye suffered because of his absence. 

But one of the saddest results of British “war measures” was 
the banishment of Mr. and Mrs. Jost with their daughter Anna from 
India. They were among the most faithful, consecrated workers we 
ever had and their influence on account of its spiritual character was 
invaluable. 

At the time of their hurried departure in 1915 Mr. Jost was 
a yery sick man. The Rev. J. C. and Mrs. Konig who had come to 
India in 1912, had to take charge of both branches of the Chandkurt 
work, that is they had to assume a burden that must have been well 
nigh unbearable, until Mr. and Mrs. Waggoner came to their relief. 
When we think of the willingness.and cheerfulness with which all 


54 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


our workers out: there assumed the additional burdens and hardships 
and deprivations laid upon them thru the exigencies of a cruel war, 
we must bow our heads in recognition of their devotion and heroism, 


The “‘tainted”’ children at the Leper Asylum 


+ & & 


Parsabhader 


For a visit to Parabhader we have to return from Baitalpur 
to Bhatapara. The road has been greatly improved of late. For- 
merly it was nothing but an ordinary country road and to travel on 
it during the hot season in a bullock-cart was one of the most try- 
ing experiences that could befall one. During the rains it was no 
road at all, it being partly plowed and sown, partly flooded; only a 
sure footed horse or a palanquin could take one from Chandkuri to. 
Bhatapara or vice versa. During the worst days and weeks of the 
rainy .season Chandkuri was almost like an island, cut off by the 
tremendous torrents of the Shionath from communication with the 
rest of the mission stations. 


The distance to Bhatapara is about ten miles. Upon arrival 
there we find Rev. Hagenstein’s bullock-cart waiting for us at the 
mission rest-house, ready to take us to Parsabhader. ‘The road to 


. 


55 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 


Conference of Missionaries, 1919 ; 


Seated left to right: Mr. Koenig, Miss Wobus, Mrs. Gass, Misi; Diefenthaler, Mr. Gass. 
Standing, left to right: Herbert Gass, Mr. Twente, Mr. Waggoner, Mr. Seybold, Mr. Feierabend, Mr. Davis, 


56 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


Baloda Bazar (fifteen miles in southeasterly direction) is good, and 
from there it is only two miles to Parsabhader on a fair road. But 
twenty-six miles in a bullock-cart is about as much as anyone cares 
for in one day; it is likely to be quite dark by the time we get near 
Parsabhader, and we welcome its lights as we see them from a dis- 
tance. Mr. Hagenstein has been on the look-out for us and he comes 
out, lantern in hand as we approach, to meet us. Altho Parsabhader 
has no mistress, Mr. Hagenstein has a happy way of making people 
feel at home there, saveeml since the old mission home ee been 
replaced by a new and very commodious one. 


Mission house at Parsabhader 


The two houses in native style are the first ones erected at the 
station and they have both served as temporary dwellings for mission- 
aries. Now one of them is used as a hospital and dispensary, while 
the other one serves as a general store house. Northeast of the mis- 
sion house is the girls’ orphanage which also serves as a school build- 
ing; it is a comparatively new structure. Opposite the girls’ orphan- 
age arial northwest of the mission house is the boys’ orphanage. South 
of the mission house is the boys’ school, i. e., the old church build- 
ing remodeled into a very serviceable school house. East of this is 
the church, which was completed and dedicated in 1909 after several 
years of building. It is a modest but serviceable brick building; the 
interior differs from any of our other churches in that it has no 
benches, the congregation sitting on the floor where, according to 
true Hindu fashion, they are more at ease than they would be on 
benches or chairs. Mr. Hagenstein is a consistent advocate of the 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 57 


idea that it is unwise to change Indian customs that are not averse 
to the Christian way of living. And it must be admitted that it 
would be wrong to create demands which the people haven’t the 
means to satisfy. South of the church is the village, small and un- 
tidy as most Chamar villages in Chhattisgarh. Like Ganeshpur the 
population is mixed. It can be said, however, that the homes and 
also the personal appearance of the Christians on the whole, compare 
favorably with those of the non-Christians. Christianity always 
makes for cleanliness and decency. And what a difference it makes 
in conduct toward one another is well illustrated by the following 
incident from the cholera epidemic in 1918. 


One of Mr. Hagenstein’s village school teachers was taken ill 
with cholera. When he got worse he traveled 12 miles in an ox- 
cart without springs to the mission station. Here he found sympa- 
thy and loving care, but he was beyond help. Mr. Hagenstein writes 
about the case: “I rejoiced to see how faithfully my people cared 
for him. When he was dying an old blind woman sat on his bed and 
stroked his cheeks. His fellow teachers washed and clothed him, 
carried him to the cemetery and laid him in his grave.—In the vil- 
lage a young man died from cholera. There I had much difficulty to 
get the people to bury him. They all went into hiding, and his 
mother sat alone with her dead boy and her little grandchild.” No 
one to help her until the missionary took pity on her. What a con- 
trast ! 

The village of Parsabhader was bought in 1894 for $1,000 by 
our mission, having been selected as a favorable place for a station 
by Mr. Hagenstein, who proceeded at once to erect the most neces- 
sary buildings. He came to India in 1890 and for four years assisted 
faithfully in the work at Bisrampur. His work at Parsabhader has 
been one of unusual self-denial and steadfastness. Not once has he 
been away from his station on a furlough and his health has been 
precariously impaired in consequence. ‘The necessity of taking a 
rest has been pressed upon him from all sides, notably from the 
Board. But Mr. Hagenstein claims that the work needs him more 
than he does a vacation. © 


The famine years brought to his care nearly 200 orphans to 
whom he is very much attached; and to bring these children up in 
the fear and admonition of the Lord has been one of his main en- 
deavors. The children are thoroly instructed in the Christian re- 
ligion and receive a good schooling, besides being trained to do man- 
ual labor. They assist to some extent in the building and repair 
work that is always going on at the station and they help in the field 
at the time of weeding and harvesting. ‘The favorite address the 


58 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


native Christians use in speaking to a missionary is ma-bap (mother 
and father), and as far as it is possible to be both father and mother 
to any one, Mr. Hagenstein has succeeded to a remarkable extent 
with his orphan children, especially when we consider that he is a 
“mere man” who has never found his better half. 


The mission owns many acres of fertile soil at Parsabhader, and 
Mr. Hagenstein also looks after the cultivation of these fields. He 
holds that the orphans should earn a considerable proportion of their 
nraintenance themselves. Whatever else may be accomplished thru 
this, it certainly serves to make useful boys and girls of the children. 


Threshing Grain at Parsabhader 


The greater part of the field work has to be performed, under Mr. 
Hagenstein’s personal supervision, by hired men and women, most 
of whom live in Parsabhader. The rest of the villagers are tenants. 
of the mission, tilling their own soil and paying annual rent for 
their land. But few of them have become Christians so far. Mr. 
Hagenstein does not believe in bringing to bear on them any undue 
pressure in this respect in his capacity as landlord. But he never 
misses an opportunity of witnessing unto them. 

The medical work is a prominent feature at Parsabhader. A 
large number of patients daily come to seek medical advice and help. 
Mr. Hagenstein received his training in this respect at Bisrampur 
under the Rev. O. Lohr. Altho there is a well-equipped government 
hospital and dispensary at Baloda Bazar, it is nevertheless safe to 
say that most people prefer to get their medicine from the padri sa- 
hib (missionary) at Parsabhader. Thru all the neighboring villages 
Mr. Hagenstein is held in high esteem ; he is frequently called upon 
to settle disputes, even government officials advising with him ‘con- 


ae 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 59 


cerning the affairs of the tahsil (county). He lays great stress on 
school work and opens village schools wherever he has an opportun- 
ity and the necessary means to do it. 


A number of blind people have found a home at Parsabhader ; 
they are also held to contribute towards their own support by such 
work as cotton spinning, rope making, ete. In philanthropic mat- 
ters Christians and gentiles are treated alike in Parsabhader; Mr. 
Hagenstein does not believe in making any distinctions in this re- 
spect. As can be seen from the aforegoing, Mr. Hagenstein also is 
doing the work of two missionaries; he has been seriously ill several 
times and is sadly in need of assistance and rest. He has now seen 
30 years of uninterrupted toil and service. During the writer’s 
time in India it was not an unusual occurrence for Mr. Hagenstein 
to fall asleep at night over some clerical work, and with his head 
resting upon his arms on the table would not awaken until the early 
morning hours when it was time to begin a new day’s work. He 
eats only the plainest food, dresses most inexpensively, and uses a 
large part of his small salary in his work. It is small wonder then 
that the Rev. Mr. Hagenstein is looked upon as a “sadhu” (saint) by 
Hindus, Mohammedans and Christians alike. 

There are now 200 Christians at Parsabhader; seven out-sta- 
tions and fifteen village schools; 960 pupils in the schools; twenty 
native teachers and one catechist. The formerly very large number 
of orphans has now dwindled down to 30 owing to the commendable 
policy in vogue since 1908 to concentrate the orphan work at Bisram- 
pur. Owing to Mr. Hagenstein’s policy of extreme caution in regard 
to = SEAN aa baptism, the number of converts at Parsabhader 
is not so very lar ge. He insists on most thoro instruction and defin- 


ite proofs of a change of heart before he baptizes. 
\ 


ab ab ab 
Sakti 


In order to visit the remaining two of our stations we have to 
return to Bhatapara, whence we continue on the railway in’a north- 
easterly direction until we reach Sakti. 


Sakti (power) is the capital city of the feudatory state of that 
name and the residence of the rajah (prince, chief). Both as to in- 
habitation and territory Sakti is among the smaller feudatory states 
of the Central Provinces. The missionaries tried hard to obtain 
land for a mission station at Sakti. but the chief would not give his 
consent. After much parley and by paying a high price (because it 
was considered a strategic point of great value), the mission finally 


60 Mission Worx of the Evangelical Church 


succeeded in acquiring twenty-two acres of rice land from a Moham- 
medan. But this site is not in the state of Sakti, it belongs to the Dis- 
trict of Bilaspur which is British possession. 

The missionary chiefly instrumental in opening this new sta- 
tion was the Rev. O. Nussmann who came to India in 1904, being 
one of the party of three new missionaries who came to India with 
the Rev. KE. Schmidt, then general secretary of the Board for For- 
eign Missions, who had been delegated by our church to visit the 
mission for the purpose of inspection. His visit to the field was a 
most helpful and encouraging event to the workers there, 
and the reports he made were largely instrumental in stim- 


Mission House at Sakti 


ulating and increasing interest and faith in the work of our 
church in India. Mr. Nussmann was then stationed at Bisrampur 
and soon had to assist in the work when the Rey. O. Lohr retired 
from service. When Mr. Nottrott had taken charge of Bisrampur 
and Mr. Jost had to leave on furlough, Mr. Nussmann took up the 
latter’s duties in Baitalpur. Those were years of strenuous but val- 
uable apprenticeship for the young missionary. When he was re- 
lieved by the return of Mr. Jost, he started out in search for a new 
station. His experiences in this respect were so manifold and in- 
teresting that they alone would fill a small book. Suffice it tesay 
that, after failing at several other points, he finally succeeded at 
Sakti, where he made a most encouraging start. 

After securing the title to this land, Mr. Nussmann immedi- 
ately began to erect a mission house and a few homes for native help- 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 61 


ers and assistants. The station was formally opened on Noyember 
16, 1909, but actual mission work was already going on while the 
building work was in operation and while Mr. and Mrs. Nussmann 
were still living in tents, a rather trying experience during the hot 
weather. Well attended services were held every Sunday. Medi- 
cine was dispensed daily to a large number of people. Visitors from 
the surrounding towns and villages had to be entertained ; they came 
because they were curious about the white teacher and his wife, and 
they had heard that the words of the teacher came from God. A 
school was opened and had to be conducted on the veranda of the 
mission house until the school house was built in 1910. Soon a good 
attendance was reported after some rather interesting experiences, 
the people being shy and suspicious as to the methods and results 
of such a school. . 

Tho the mission station is not in the state of Sakti, it is never- 
theless possible to reach from here the people of two native states, 
(i. e., of Sakti and Raigarh, neither of which had until 1909 been 
touched by mission work), as well as a large section of Bilaspur dis- 
trict. The scope of work offered by the location of Saktiis very am- 
ple indeed. In locating this new station 120 miles northeast of Rai- 
pur, the mission has gone beyond the Chamar district. Low caste 
Hindus and the Kols, an aboriginal people, are the main objects of 
mission work here. The Kols are the people among whom the work 
of the Gossner mission, north of the Sakti hills, has been so very 
successful. 

From a scenic point of view none of our stations are situated 
quite so attractively as Sakti. It is the only station where hills are 
within walking distance, and the view of them from the veranda of 
the mission house is truly delightful. It must be a pleasure and a recre- 
ation for our missionaries at the other stations to pay an occasional 
visit to Sakti and to feast their eyes on the Sakti hill range. Raipur 
and Sakti are the only mission stations that are also railway stations. 
The mission compound at Sakti is, however, difficult of approach. 
during the rainy season, on account of a wide and rushing creek be- 
tween the railway and the mission station. 

The two new stations, Mahasamudra and Sakti, represent, in 
a sense, a new era in our mission field. The work on these two sta- 
tions will be somewhat unique on account of the fact that Hindus 
and aborigines will be the objects of mission endeavor here ; Cham- 
arstand Satnamis, the chief material at the other stations, being al- 
most entirely absent. Great hopes are being entertained that the 
converts from among these people will enable us to put native help- 
ers in the field, who will prove more reliable and more useful than 
the Chamar Christians from among whom our staff of native workers 


62 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


had to be recruited in the past. But however that may develop, 
surely we are debtors to the Hindus and aborigines as well as to the 
Chamars of Chhattisgarh, and by branching out, as we did, into the 
regions of Mahasamudra nad Sakti, we are taking up a legitimate 
but somewhat neglected duty. 

In 1911 the Sakti mission station took over from the Sambal- 
pur Baptist mission a number of Christians in the native raj of 
Raigarh. For the Sambalpur missionaries these Christians lived ra- 
ther out of the way and they found it very difficult to exercise proper 
supervision over them. There were about 50 of them scattered over 
quite a number of villages. They had been won from the Garas, one 
of the lowest castes. The peculiarity about these converts was that 
they had not been outcasted when they became Christians. They con- 
tinued interdining and intermarrying with their relatives which 
among other things had the pernicious result that quite a number 
of the young boys and girls went back into heathendom and that 
the rest followed in many respects heathen customs It took a long 
time and much patience to break these habits. Under Mr. Nuss- 
mann about 40 young people and a dozen of adults were baptized. 
As the native chief of Raigarh would not permit any teacher or 
preacher to be located among these people, the little boys and girls 
were taken to Sakti and placed in boarding houses there. Most 
of these people live about 50 miles from Sakti and the roads lead- 
ing there are very*bad; shepherding them properly is, therefore, 
still a difficult problem. 

The Rev. and Mrs. Nussmann left in the spring of 1912 on 
home leave for America. The Rev. and Mrs. M. Lienk then took 
charge of the station but left again for America in the spring of 
1913. Then the Rev. H. A. Feierabend was stationed there and 
worked with great zeal till the return of Mr. and Mrs. Nussmann 
in Dec. 1913. But alas, their stay was not to be a long one. In 
June 1915 they had to leave India again on account of Mr. Nuss- 
mann’s throat trouble for which he was unable to get medical treat- 
ment in India. With sorrowful hearts they left their promising 
work wherein they. had met with so much success and many bless- 
ings. Sakti mission station is a lasting memorial to their faith and 
consecration. | | 


Since then the Rev. Theophil Twente is in charge of the sta- 
tion. He is assisted in his work by 7.catechists and 18 teachers. With 
rare devotion he is pursuing the work. 

“The station now numbers 165 converts. There are three out- 
stations ; 6 schools are attended by 454 pupils. The boarding houses 
have 24 inmates (girls and boys.) The Mission compound, which 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 63 


10 years ago was nothing but a tract of treeless riceland, now makes 
quite an imposing impression. There are quite a number of solid 
buildings on it. Facing the railroad tracks is the handsome bunga- 
low. In front of it to the left side is the girls boarding house, to 
the rear the kitchen and the solid fowlhouse. Across the road lead- 
ing to the outhouses is a fine dispensary the money for which was 
donated by Dr. Wobus of St. Louis, Mo. Farther back is the roomy 
schoolhouse. All told there are now 12 solid stone buildings on that 
compound. About 200 shade and fruit trees have been planted. 
Water was very scarce in the beginning but now the well yields a 
sufficient quantity of drinking water while a pond supplies water for 
the garden and is enjoyed especially by the boarding children as a 


bathing place.” 
‘ “b yb 


Mahasamudra 


The last one of our mission stations to be visited by us is Ma- 
hasamudra. This station was opened a year before Sakti, but 
for convenience sake we visited Sakti first. It is a far cry from 
Sakti to Mahasamudra, at least a hundred miles south-westward, as 
the crow flies, and about 155 miles per railway and bullock-cart. 


oo? - 1 


vo eee AB 
es 
~ : 


DEHLIo 


Agrao- 
_ Allahabad® 


Bombay, 


| ARABIAN 


SEA , 


64 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


Looking at the map we notice that in easterly direction our mission 
field is uninterrupted and almost unlimited as far as Sambalpur. 
But there being no roads thru that section of the country it is neces- 
sary to return by rail to Raipur whence we have to cover the distance 
of thirty three miles by bullock-cart or on horseback. Now we travel 
due east and follow the main road to Sambalpur. (The Sambalpur 


Chapel at Mahasamudra 


district was formerly a part of Chhattisgarh but now belongs to 
the Orissa and Bihar Province.) 

On our way we pass a number of out-stations of the Raipur 
mission, including Aring, which is quite a large place with a govern- 
ment plant: a police station and a hospital and dispensary. It is 
a thriving town, but the inhabitants are extremely bigoted. -A very 
ancient Buddhist temple, now deserted, and kept in repair by the 
government, is worth a visit. Having covered twenty-two miles in the 
morning a rest during the noon hours is acceptable. We proceed on 


GiaAmmecieatinl Chhatisgarh;+Indin 65 


our journey after three o’clock in the afternoon. About half way 
between Aring and Mahasamudra we have to cross the Mahanadi, 
the largest river in this section of the country. At the crossing point 
it is about three-fourths of a mile wide. The crossing is effected like 
that of the Shionath between Bisrampur and Chandkuri. 

Mahasamudra (the great sea) is a village like a thousand others 
in Chhattisgarh—of ordinary size and with nothing about it to jus- 
tify its resounding name. But it has been raised to the dignity 
of a county seat in a district of about 2,500 villages. The native 
officials necessary to carry out the judicial and executive work of 
government in the tahsil (county) of Mahasamudra all reside here. 
The government also maintains here a hospital and dispensary and 
a school. Here, too, it was only with difficulty and after having 
tried at other places that the mission obtained a building site of 
about eight acres. Fortunately the talstldar (head of the district) 
was favorably disposed and threw the weight of his influence in our 
favor, which is all the more remarkable since the gentleman in ques- 
tion is an orthodox Hindu, who gives generously towards Hindu 
temples and festivities. On account of its official position Mahasa- 
mudra is frequently visited by British government officials from Rai- 
pur. 

The mission station is situated to the northwest of the village, 
opposite the hospital. The site intervening has been selected for 
a station of the contemplated railway which is to run east of Raipur 
to the sea. Mahasamudra as a station is unique in that it is very 
near the jungle, it being only a few minutes’ walk from the mission 
house to the reserve forest where game of every kind abounds. Pan- 
thers, bears, boars, etc., visit the station every now and then under 
cover of the night; there are herds of antelopes and deer of various 
kinds; at a distance of a few miles the bison and the wild buffalo 
can be found, and a tiger is heard of now and then to come within 
a few miles. | 

The station is situated on an elevation. The population round 
about consists mainly of Hindus, the low castes being in the major- 
ity. Chamars or Satnamis are not very numerous, but the Gonds 
and several other jungle tribes are within the reach of our mission- 
ary. Several feudatory states can also be reached from here, so that 
Mahasamudra presents a most promising mission field. The Hindus 
and Gonds are mostly agriculturists; the jungle tribes live off 
their bow and arrow and small tracts of land. The Gonds and the 
jungle tribes compare favorably with the Hindu and Chamars in 
point of honesty, trustworthiness, and good nature, but they are 
far below them in intelligence and are also addicted to drink. Their 
liquor is home-made, of very inferior quality. It must be said, how- 


66 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


ever, that they drink to excess only on festive occasions. A habitual 
drunkard is quite an exception and is held in contempt. 


The jungle tribes are so shy and superstitious, that they usually 
disappear at the approach of a white man to their hamlets; only 
those who are in duty bound to stay, (perhaps the village headman 
and his lieutenant), will dare to face the stranger. It 1s most amus- 
ing to see the rest gradually come forth when they notice that the 
visitor has no sinister intentions upon their lives or paltry posses- 
sions. 


The Rev. E. Tillmanns, who initiated the work at Mahasamu- 
dra, also came to India in Rev. Schmidt’s party in 1904. After al- 
most one and one half years of valuable service as superintendent of 
the Chandkuri leper asylum he inaugurated the work at Mahasamu- 
dra. By that time he had acquired the language to a remarkable de- 
gree. In 1907—08 a substantial mission house was built under his 
supervision ; a flower and vegetable garden were laid out; a well was 
also sunk, and the necessary buildings erected, among them a com- 
fortable home for two native helpers. Mr. Tillmanns’ principal ef- 
forts were confined to evangelistic work ; he made long and extended 
tours into his large district, preaching at bazars and fairs, where the 
use of his cornet proved valuable in attracting and holding the crowd. 
In spite of the close proximity of the government dispensary, Mr. 
Tillmanns had a large medical practice, a fact that speaks well for 
his medical skill, which he acquired by his own efforts since he came 
to India. A building for an English school was erected on a sep- 
arate site granted for this purpose by the village owner; it is a short 
distance from the mission compound and in close proximity to the 
village and the government buildings. This being the only English 
school in the tahsil, it is expected that the attendance will be very 
gratifying. The resident government officials at Mahasamudra 
(Hindus and Mohammedans) will gladly seize upon this opportun- 
ity to afford their sons an English education. 


Mr. Tillmanns left India in 1910 after a severe attack of typhoid 
fever.. He had been very strenuous in his activities and his health 
had suffered generally. Mr. Goetsch, whom we met in Bisrampur, was 
then put in charge until 1914, as noted elsewhere. After that two 
new missionaries were stationed at Mahasamudra: The Rev. H. A. 
Feierabend who came to India in 1912, and the Rev. Theophil 
Twente whom we met at Sakti, where he went in 1915 to replace 
Mr. Nussmann. That left Mahasamudra to Mr. Feierabend who has 
since carried on the difficult work with untiring zeal and deep conse- 
cration. He writes: “In area this is the largest district our mis- 
sion has occupied, 3600 square miles.- I might be called the touring 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 67 


missionary.” The need of an automobile is apparent from this mere 
statement.” 


Since Mr. Feierabend came to Mahasamudra, the new church 
was dedicated and he has opened several additional out-stations 
(one at Khariar at a distance of 80 miles!), so that the out-stations 
now number 6 in all. Ten catechists and 20 teachers assist our lone 
sentinel on the edge of the jungle. We have 499 pupils in our schools. 
The congregation numbers 148 souls and there are 116 pupils in 
Sunday school. These are really gratifying results considering the 
peculiar difficulties of this field. 


‘bs ‘ ss 


Conclusion 


We have finished our trip. On our journeys and during our 
stays at the station we have had an opportunity to observe the people 
of Chhattisgarh in their daily life. Our hearts have been filled with 
horror and sorrowful sympathy by what we saw of their pitiful con- 
dition. We have seen how much misery and how little joy these peo- 
ple have in life. 

We have visited our stations and are convinced that, taking all 
conditions into consideration, we have acquired valuable property 
-and improved it with many suitable buildings. But we also saw 
that there is room for much improvement in this respect. The equip- 
ment is inadequate in some places and not worthy of the strength 
and wealth of our church. | 

We have looked into the faces and shaken hands with our mis- 
sionary force, our representatives, and have observed them in their 
work; and we have recalled the memory of those “who have gone 
before” but left a shining trail of good work accomplished by self- 
denial and unstinted devotion. We are convinced that our stations 
are all undermanned and that all of our missionaries are badly over- 
worked. Their strength is strained to the breaking point. Their 
willingness and cheerfulness are a standing reproach to us. If more 
of these devoted men and women break down under the unreasonable 
load they have to carry, whose fault will it be ?** 

We have met many of our native workers, catechists and teach- 
ers whom we must leave unnamed in this account. And while we have 
become aware of weaknesses in their character and a generat !ack 
of thoro preparation for their work, we nevertheless rejoice that God 


*) St. Peter’s Church, Pittsburgh, Pa. (Rev. Ernst, pastor) has met this 
need. 

**) It is but just to say that the Board was unable to send reinforce- 
ments, on account of war restrictions. - 


68 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


has raised up out of sin and degradation so many that can bear wit- 
ness for Him who saved them. And among the many we have no- 
ticed with special gratitude the few who have been completely re- 
newed in the Spirit, born again, endowed with exceptional mental 
and spiritual ability. In 1919 the Mission Conference petitioned the 
officers of our church for permission to ordain for the ministry three 
of these proved workers. : 

We have visited our schools and have worshipped with our con- 
gregations. We have observed the difference in looks, in bearing, in 
manners and in speech which the touch of Jesus has brought to thou- 
sands of souls who were classed as “untouchables” by their fellow- 
countrymen. We have seen them struggle and stamble and fall in 
their efforts to lead the Cliristian life, but we are convinced that He 
who began a good work in them will perfect it until the day of Jesus 
Christ. 

As we return to the homeland, to our loved ones, to our: com- 
fortable homes and modern conveyances, to a more or less Christian- 
ized social order, to sanitary and civilized surroundings, let us be 
obedient to the vision we have had of a light shining in dark places. 


The Rajah’s hunting elephant in mission service 


———— 


__ 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 69 


Summary and Statistics for 1918 


Pore siie 9. CGS TES a ge A a A eee Bie eed hes 
PTE Lae UTS RY I Wa CEES ne ie ae MS gin ect a i 4,40 
Set MUA VER DTCACHELS | 5 ij. cals ewes gece 4 apo ead esi, 
OVE So AS a LENE Re i 2 SE oe Pe 214 
UE SISNICS SU MITL CT 9g SUGAR) P/U den GR OL AR aE NIE ea oe ae ee eR 15 
TENTS CLEVE CTY TICORIR Ro ig la OR ea ms ON abe 3 
LE PLT gS, 0 I a cr ea PO nT ne 3 
Boys and girls in homes (orphans and boarders) .......... 298 
Me satimereisel OUNOINCE: (eis se el ae ek tee ee elon: ae 7 ae 

Pociner tee per- may ims (about rm. sons. eae eee 600 
Bre ma est Me OTMECMOOIS cone coe ec dust oc. ¥ Mes ln a ates! faved a 4,544 
Deer NOM ICoeM IeILetl Pe Meh, od ok uo gts bd + vie eae eds 350 
Renee rcnred: airoospitals:(ADOULY ) Pic. ede oe oe as 19,000 
RMR e CeO Minium oP reece: oot ct ila. | tr itiok ghlvala bneealy 104 


Mission Methods and Agencies 


1. The evangelistic method. ‘Go ye, therefore, and preach.” 


Our missionaries are obeying this injunction by preaching the gos- 


pel in villages, at. bazars and at the various annual fairs held in honor 
of the heathen gods. On preaching tours during the “cold” weather 
(December to February) thousands hear the gospel, either in public 
discourses or personal conversation. 


2. The educational method. ‘The school is an established mis- 
sionary agency. Its legitimacy can hardly be questioned. Its use- 
fulness is obvious: to win the youth of the nation for a given cause 
is to win the nation. We teach the curriculum set up by the govern- 
ment of India and prepare our pupils for the examinations pre- 
scribed by the Educational Department of the Central Provinces. 
But we add to these thoro instruction in the Christian religion. The 
awakening of India, about which we read so much in our days, is 
a direct result of the educational policy of missions and the govern-- 
ment. Christian ideas are being spread broadcast thruout the land 
and are producing a state of fermentation. Our sixty-one schools 
educating +,544 pupils, are doing their share in this respect. ‘Ihe 
British government is liberal in its grant-in-aids to all schools that 
meet the requirements. 

3. The philanthropic agencies. When the Saviour sent forth 
“the Twelve” as His first missionaries He “gave them power and au- 
thority over all demons, and to cure diseases”, and “charged them 
saying : ‘Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out de- 


70 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


mons; freely ye received, freely give.” ’ Hospitals, leper asy- 
lumns, orphanages, dispensaries, relief of distress and oppres- 
sion are recognized and approved agencies of mission work. 
All our missionaries are engaged in a larger or smaller meas- 
ure along the line of medical work, and our mission expends about 
$500 annually for medicine besides the grants-in-aid from the goy- 
ernment. Two of our missionaries are devoting themsclves 
to the work among lepers at Chandkuri and Raipur . re- 
spectively. During the famine years all of those on the field were 
engaged in relieving the distress of the population and some $25,000 
were directly and indirectly contributed by our church for this pur- 


Missionaries with native helpers preaching at a ‘‘Fair” 


pose. Several hundred orphans were taken in by our mission dur- 
ing the famine years and have been fed, clothed, educated and 
brought up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Christians and 
non-Christians, oppressed and persecuted by unscrupulous enemies, 
have been shielded and rescued by the intervention of the mission- 
aries. 


4. Zenana work. 'The inhuman custom prevalent among high 
caste Hindus and Mohammedans, compelling a girl after her eley- 
enth year of age to live in zenana (seclusion), and not permitting 
her to leave the house except under force of circumstances, puts the 
Indian woman beyond the reach of the publicly preached gospel. 
And yet there is heard a piercing cry for help.from behind the walls 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India fi 
I eT oe REIT AS ERE. SLATES Baa SS EA a 


of the zenana where Indian womanhood is held captive in ignorance, 
disgrace, sin, misery and suffering beyond description. The wives 
of our married missionaries and the women missionaries on the field 
are endeavoring to bring enlightenment, relief and consolation to 
the captives by proclaiming unto them the gospel and by telling them 
of the Prince of Peace, the true liberator of all who are in bondage. 


FOREIGN MISSION BOARD 
EVANGELICAL SYNOD 


Pk 


y . : 
Da fRrgnen 
/ & %e , vv Ae 
te NY Bilaspu u i O Lah y ; 
: q oe Se : 
ae i Beaton ys a : Aeigan Din, 
i By *, | : rs e Z ee. 
is eae & Vi ove Pen oe ses me 
* a Pe he 'e. ‘Bhatap’ ard *. . : ry 3 
: ‘oe a : . ay, 
fo pees PARSABHADER : : % 
hoes : R. } ae ere, ? oo 
L aaa goers r 
: ares é 
Cee Oe : 
cg 9 
: ar 
bee EVANGELICAL 
MISSIONS 
R&i/way 
: Stations 
, 33 af O10) *20; acim 46 Ma 60 
CHHATTISGARH taletee Ho Meera s ESE 
aah Ay 
SIN gee 


5. The training of native helpers. “India must be evangelized 
by Indians.” Important as it is that the missionary should preach, 
it is of still greater importance that he should train men from 
among the converts to Christianfty to do this work. The work of 
training is not confined to the institutions created for this purpose 
(here the foundation is laid), but must be continued long after grad- 
uation by encouraging, fortifying and counselling them in their 
faith and work. The Raipur training school for native preachers 
has accomplished some valuable work along this line. Over one hun- 
dred young men have been trained there for mission work. The prin- 
cipal work of a native preacher or catechist is evangelistic preaching 


72 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


in towns and villages, at bazars and fairs. Some of them accompany 
(and sometimes interpret into the dialect) the missionary on his 
preaching tours; some of them act as pastors over a small flock of 
village Christians, and some give religious instructions in our 
schools. The establishment of a training school for school teachers 
is contemplated. 

6. Church agencies. The spiritual care of the flock and the su- 
pervision of the native helpers is a work of infinite patience and un- 
tiring perseverance. The missionary is the spiritual guide, “father 
and mother,” teacher, counsellor, arbitrator and physician to his 
people in a far greater degree and a more drastic way than a pastor 
at home is to his congregation. Sunday school work is being carried 
on at all of our stations. The Lesson Helps on the International 
Sunday School Lessons in Hindi, as printed: by the M. E. Pubtish- 
ing House, are in use. Several young people’s societies have been or- 
ganized, two of them as C..E. societies. 


7. The printed gospel. Several colporteurs are at work in our 
mission field selling Bible portions and religious tracts published in 
the vernacular by the Bible Society and Tract Society respectively. 
Each book of the Bible has been issued separately and is being sold 
for a mere pittance. The missionaries superintendent fosters this 


Toreign JTisgion 


oard i i er F ey TRIBUTARY 


i Sh stor tes . LQ, STATES 
Evangel ical Synod ih, i \ SWAY 
~ 


(] 


Mii, ~» 
TRY, . 

Lees 
. << 


Vy, 
ew. 


NN] 
ue 


° 
Mj mm GAS! 
lim as 


THR aS 
TTT 


, SHADED 
¥ i Bear { PORTION 
CENTRAL PROVINCES yf \iecaes 
DIVISIONS ig A Mba jah 

1- JUBBULPORE 3-NaGpuR . 
2- NERBUDDA 4- CHHATTISGARH 
+ OuR Stations — RAILWAYS 

° 20 40 60 to too 


MILES 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 73 


work. As yet there is but one in twenty people who can read, but: 
the sale of books is nevertheless quite good. - At bazars and fairs 
large numbers of illiterate people will buy a book and have it read to 
them by the one person in their respective village who is able to read; 
and at the reading of it not only the purchaser but his friends and 
relatives also will form the audience. Of course, not every book is 
put to such good use; many of them are torn and burned up at the 
advice of a priest or some other enemy of the good seed. But on the 
whole, colportage is a splendid means of spreading the Word of Ged. 
And we know it shall not return unto Him void. Several of our 
missionaries have contributed by translations and original work 
towards the as yet small amount of Christian literature in the Hindi 
language.”* 


Immediate Needs of Our Mission Fields 
Six New MISSIONARIES AND FouR UNMARRIED LADIES 


Every one of our stations is in need of another missionary. 
The work at each of these stations is greater than any one man can 
fully accomplish, and the district allotted to each of these stations 
can never be fully covered until a second man comes to the aid of 
the one now on duty. Raipur needs a third man to replace the Rev. 
A. Stoll. Several of our workers are already in uncertain health. 
Suppose any of them or all of them should break down, then there 
would be no one to take their place. 


A MeEpicaL MISSIONARY 

Our mission has a marvelous opportunity for service by estab- 
lishing a medical mission. If our present missionaries, who are 
mostly untrained men in this respect, can do as much as has been 
shown in the foregoing, how much more could a trained physician. 
and surgeon accomplish! In 1909 our young people of Ohio at the 
suggestion of the writer undertook to raise $3,000 for the purpose 
of starting this work by building and equipping a hospital. The 
Board agreed to send a doctor as soon as one could be found. The 
money has been raised, but the man has not been found. “Pray ye 
therefore.” 

A Mission NoRMAL SCHOOL 


One of the greatest problems is the difficulty of obtaining 
enough properly trained teachers for our schools. The government 
has normal schools in a number of places but in its determination 
to be strictly neutral in matters of religion the odds usually fall 
against Christianity. Christian young men who enter these schools 


*) Of late the Rev. J. C. Koenig is editing a periodical publication, “The 
Evangelical Patrika,” in the interest of two important movements—Sunday 
school extension and special evangelization. 


74 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


Group of Boarding House Boys, Raipur. Contrast with group on 
page 73 


are then often not under influence that makes for growth in spirit- 
‘uality and a greater knowledge of the Christian religion. After 
graduation government posts with better salary than the mission 
can afford are frequently offered them, and so we lose their services 
and they may forfeit their allegiance to their Master. A number of 
teachers employed in our schools at present are non-Christians. If 
we had capable Christian teachers in their places, men who would 
also be living witnesses, what an opportunity we would have to in- 
fluence the adolescent minds who come to us for guidance and in- 
struction! It would be comparatively easy to combine the normal 
school with our high school in Raipur. There is, perhaps, not an- 
other need that is as urgent as a Christian normal school in Chhattis- 
garth. Pray and give! 


Two HuNpDRED Spirit-FILLED NATIVE HELPERS 


Men who have been raised up by God, consecrated to the service . 
of Christ and sanctified by His Spirit for the work of evangelizing 
the field allotted us in India. “The harvest indeed is plenteous, but 
the laborers are few.” , 


FIFTEEN THOUSAND MEN AND WoMEN 


who will contribute not less than ten cents a week towards our mis- 
sion work. ‘That means $75,000 a year, enough to fortify and en- 
large the work according to its needs. 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 75 


Mission Girls’ School at Raipur. 


We need more churches to support individually their own mis- 
sionaries on the field, as for instance Salems of Rochester, N. Y., 
supports Miss Wobus; St. John’s, Buffalo, Mr. Twente; St. John’s, 
Evansville, Mr. Davis; St. John’s, Mansfield, Mrs. Suger. 


We need more men like our departed Brother Hermann Wellen- 
siek of Cook, Neb., who had his personal representative in India 
during the last five years of his life. Who will take his place? How 
many. others will emulate him. 


We need more men and women, congregations and societies who 
will each be responsible for the support of a native helper—teacher 
or preacher; more who will individually support one orphan, or 
one leper, or one blind person, or one helpless widow. 


PrRAyInG MEN AND WoMEN WITHOUT NUMBER 


who will daily remember the work of missions in general and our 
own in particular. Ask God to supply all our needs as stated above 
and beseech Him to grant to our workers on the field an ever increas- 
ing measure of good health, grace, fortitude, consecration, love, 
fruitfulness and joy. 

| * a x 


76 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


“In the name of Christ our common Lord, for the sake of those 
who, lacking Him, are as sheep without a shepherd, we ask you to 
listen to our appeal. You, under God, have sent us forth to India. 
We count it a privilege to give our lives to this land.” | 

“For Christ’s sake and the Gospel’s strengthen our hands and 
help us to press on towards the goal of our great calling; when the 
kingdoms of this world shall:become the kingdom of our Lord and 
His Christ.” 7 

Madras Decennial Missionary Conference. 


+ & & 


Our Neighbors 


Our Mission has the distinction of .being the pioneer mission of 
Chhattisgarh, but the honor of building up God’s kingdom there we 
share with five other American missions. In the number of mis- 
sionaries on the field and of converts our Mission leads. If we accept, 
as we ought to, at least one sixth of the population of Chhattisgarlr 
as our legitimate object of mission work, then we are responsible for 
the evangelization of 650,000 souls there. We have now nine men. 
and nine women missionaries in India to do our work, giving to each 
worker over 36,000 souls each. Do you wonder at their crying out 
for more help? | 


1. The first missionaries to come into the field after our own, 
were of the Christian Church (Discinles of Christ). Bilaspur, about 
seventy-two miles northeast of Raipur, is their headquarters. Their 
other station in Chhattisgarh is Mungeli, about twenty-five miles 
northwest of Bisrampur. They have emphasized Zenana work and 
school work among girls, having gathered in many orphan. girls dur- 
ing the famine years.. In medical work they have long ere this over- 
taken our mission by establishing hospitals at their two stations with 
a qualified woman physician in charge of each. Altogether they have 
seven missionaries, four women and three men. 


*. ‘The next to come were the Gospel Band missionaries. They 
came as faith missionaries, i. e., they were sent by no mission board, 
but depended for their personal support and the maintenance of 
their work upon the voluntary gifts of Christian friends at home. 
They settled at Rajnandgaon, about forty miles west of Raipur, in 
a feudatory state. They also engaged in orphan and leper work, but 
their principal efforts were made along evangelistic lines. After 
a most prosperous period, during which they had opened three new 
stations in quick succession, the mission passed thru a very critical 


of America in Chhattisgarh, India 77 


time. , They had to give up one of their stations and for a time it 
was feared that all might be lost. But now everything is bright and 
hopeful again. Their diminished forces have again increased, and 


‘possibly the loss has been fully covered by this time. 


3. Then came the representatives of the American M. E. mis- 
sion. ‘hey arrived just before or during the famine of 1897. ‘Their 
ample means enabled them to do much relief work and give shelter 
and maintenance to a large number of orphans. Orphanages, 
schools, zenana and evangelistic work are the prominent features. 
They erected two splendid mission houses at the extreme south of 
the Raipur city limits, the cost of one exceeding the cost of two of 
ours. There are three (two men and one woman) missionaries, with 
several female Eurasian assistants; a second station was built at 
Drug, a town about 25 miles west of Raipur on the B. N. R. R. 


4, and 5. Mennonite missionaries came during the famine of 
1899—1900, bringing with them large supplies of corn and wheat 
from prosperous Mennonite farmers in the west. Two branches of 
that church are now represented in Chhattisgarh. The first Menno- 
nite arrivals settled at Dhamtari, thirty miles south of Raipur. They 
gathered in several hundred orphans, established a medical mission 
and built a leper asylum. Work for the blind is also carried on. In 
1908 they opened their third station. The number of missionaries 
almost equals ours, there being a difference of only one or two in 
our favor, whichis certainly a fine record considering the short time.* 


The other branch of the Mennonite Church began work at 
Champa, twenty miles east of Bilaspur, in 1900. They now have 
four stations; five men and five women missionaries. Medical 
work and work among lepers are the main features of their activity. 


s 


* * * 


The feeling of Christian fellowship is as pronounced among the 
missionaries in Chhattisgarh as it is among missionaries everywhere. 
The Chhattisgarh Missionary Association was organized at the ini- 
tiative of our mission in 1901, and the annual meetings of this body 
of Christian workers, of which every missionary in Chhattisgarh is 
considered a member, have contributed largely to the existing good 
fellowship. The conventions are always helpful and inspiring. Some 
mutual work has been undertaken, for instance the general assembly 
of all the Christians of Chhattisgarh for a time of spiritual deepen- 
ing and refreshing. The first of these meetings (mela) was held in 
1909. It was attended by thousands of Christians and voted a suc- 


*) I have given the number of missionaries in our neighboring missions 
from memory and it is possible that they are only approximately correct. 


78 Mission Work of the Evangelical Church 


cess by all who took part. These gatherings have grown in number 
and have increased in spiritual power and influence from year to 
year. ‘The association tends towards the adoption of a certain degree 
of uniformity in methods and in the relation of the missionaries to 
the native helpers. An understanding as to the boundaries of each 
mission has been arrived at and will help to avoid unpleasant col- 
lisions along this line. Above all, the association demonstrates to 
the heathen world the practical unity of the Christian Church. The 
writer looks forward to the time when more union work may be un- 
dertaken. The different mission forces of Chhattisgarh should rally 
for a united effort along educational lines with the distinct object 
of establishing a Christian institution for higher learning in Chhat- 
tisgarh. 


/ 


pear Bee 
pee. 


Poe 


‘ 


o ty 
a 


qe aye” 
AY ee A ‘ 
Syrian ee! 


EDEN PUBLISHING HOUSE 
PRINT 


1716-22 CHOUTEAU AVE. 
ST. LOUIS, MO. 


1920 


